5 Campfire Recipes

Camping is an integral part of the Girl Scout experience! It’s always lots of fun to spend a weekend away with your Girl Scout troop members, exploring the campsite and going on adventures. But at the end of the day, when you head back to camp to eat dinner, well…the food can be boring.

Sure, most everyone loves a good hotdog cooked over the fire! And I have yet to meet anyone who will say no to a classic, delicious, melty s’more. But there are definitely ways to make campfire cooking a little more interesting. In this article, I’ll list and describe five tasty campfire treats for you to try on your next camping trip!

Before we begin, remember to practice proper fire safety! Always have an adult watching the fire, and never use your bare hands to place or take things into or out of the firepit.

Recipe 1: Thin Mint S’mores

Let’s start things off simple. Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies are delicious, and s’mores are a must-have when camping. So why not combine them? Replace the graham crackers on your s’more with Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, and voíla! The ultimate Girl Scout snack.

Recipe 2: Silver Turtles

I remember making silver turtles on a Girl Scout camping trip when I was a Girl Scout Brownie. It’s a delicious, easy dinner, and it’s incredibly versatile! Here’s how to create your own silver turtle at camp. 

1. Grab some aluminum foil, and tear off about 12-inches.

2. Gather your ingredients- small pieces of chicken, shredded cheese, potato shreds, salt, butter, onions, cilantro, beans, anything you can fit in the foil!

3. Wrap it all up in the foil to make a foil wrap or pocket. You may want to double-layer the foil, because cheese and butter could melt out onto the fire.

4. Get creative! Shape the foil wrap into any fun shape you like! This recipe is called a silver turtle because some people like to make the foil wrap into a turtle shape, but really, you could make any shape.

5. Using tongs, carefully place the foil wrap into the fire pit. Let it sit for about half an hour.*

6. After the half hour is up, remove the foil wrap carefully with tongs and set it off to the side to cool for about ten minutes or until you can’t feel heat rising off of it. 7. Unwrap the foil and dig in!

*Certain dishes, like a whole baked potato, may require much longer to cook. This is why I recommend you use small ingredients- for example, diced carrots. 

Protip: Do not try to cook anything like an entire raw chicken breast. The fire is not hot enough to cook big pieces of meat. It will not cook all the way through, which is especially dangerous for chicken and pork!

Recipe 3: Kebabs

Kebabs are just as versatile as silver turtles, and they’re easier to manage in some situations. Here’s how to make them:

1. For one kebab, you need a wooden skewer and about 6 inches of foil. Set the foil off to the side for now.

2. Gather your ingredients, and skewer them! Add spices and seasoning if you’d like. Protip: use pre-cooked ingredients, this process is only meant to warm them up, not cook them.

3. Wrap up the kebab in foil. It should be fine if there’s just one layer of foil, since there’s nothing like cheese or butter to spill through the openings. Make extra sure you wrap the wooden skewer in foil, or else the fire will cause it to combust!

3. Rest the kebab over the fire on a grate for 10-15 minutes. After that, pick them up with tongs and set them off to the side while the foil cools off. 

4. Unwrap and enjoy!

Recipe 4: Cake in a Pan (AKA: Pancake)

This is basically one huge pancake chunk that you make in a cast iron campfire kettle. It takes a while to make, but it’s so worth it!

1. Spray cooking oil into a cast iron campfire kettle, making sure to coat it thoroughly. A campfire kettle is a pot with three legs and a handle. 

2. Pour pancake mix into the cast iron campfire kettle, making sure to fill it until there’s just a few inches of space from the top of the batter to the edge of the pot. You don’t want the batter to spill out over the top when it expands!

3. Sprinkle whatever you want into the batter. You can use chocolate chips, fruit, sprinkles, you name it! Mix until it’s evenly distributed into the batter.

4. Place the kettle over the fire.

5. Wait 15 to 20 minutes, then take a clean utensil and carefully stick it down into the center of the batter. If it comes out gooey, keep the kettle over the fire for 10 more minutes.

6. Continue checking the batter until you can tell the center is no longer gooey. 

7. Remove the kettle from the fire. Cut out chunks of the pancake cake, share with your troop and enjoy!

Recipe 5: Cinnamon Apples

I’ve never had this before, but it sounds absolutely delicious! Like a miniature, easy-to-make version of apple pie.

1. Cut out the core of a Granny Smith apple. You may have to ask your Girl Scout Troop Leader or a trusted adult for help with this.

2. Place the cored apple on a piece of foil measured about 2 feet by 2 feet.

3. Fill up the hole in the apple with cinnamon and brown sugar, and maybe a little salt or butter. Wrap up the apple with the foil and carefully place it over the fire with tongs.

4. Wait for it to cook for 5-10 minutes, then take it off the fire with tongs. 

5. Set it to the side and let it cool, then unwrap and enjoy!

I hope you and your troop enjoy making and eating these tasty foods. These treats will give you energy to face anything during your camping trip, and they are not boring!