Dragonfly Supply
Desserts

Campfire Apple Crisp

Dessertseasyserves 6-8 servings· Prep 10 min· Cook 25-35 min
Campfire Apple Crisp

Warm cinnamon apples under a buttery, crunchy oat topping — all the apple-pie feeling with none of the pie. Make it in the Dutch oven for a crowd, or in foil packets so everyone gets their own.

Ingredients

  • 5-6 apples, peeled and sliced (firm baking apples like Granny Smith)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
  • Optional: chopped pecans; or swap the apples + cinnamon for 2 cans apple pie filling

Steps

  1. Line the Dutch oven with a foil sling. Toss the sliced apples with the cinnamon and half the brown sugar and spread them in the bottom.
  2. Make the topping: mix the oats, flour, the rest of the brown sugar, and the cold butter with your fingers until it's clumpy crumbs. Scatter it evenly over the apples.
  3. Lid on, coals top and bottom, weighted toward the lid. Bake 25-35 minutes, until the apples are soft and bubbling and the topping is golden.
  4. Lift it out by the sling. If the topping has a few crispy, almost-too-dark edges, that's exactly right — that's the best part.
  5. Foil-packet version: divide apples and topping into doubled foil squares, seal loosely with an air dome, and set on the coals 20-30 minutes until soft.

Tips & variations

Two ways to make it

For a crowd, the Dutch oven gives you one big crisp with a caramelized top — weight the coals toward the lid so the topping browns (see the heat guide). For individual servings, build little foil packets on the coals so each kid gets their own. Same ingredients either way.

The shortcut, and making it yours

Short on time? Two cans of apple pie filling replace the fresh apples, sugar, and cinnamon entirely — dump, top, bake. A handful of chopped pecans in the topping is never wrong, and firm baking apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp) hold their shape where soft ones turn to sauce. Great with ice cream if your cooler held out.

Common questions

What apples are best for campfire apple crisp?
Firm baking apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp hold their shape and don't turn to mush. Softer apples still taste fine but break down into more of a sauce under the topping.
Dutch oven or foil packets?
Dutch oven for one big crisp to share with a caramelized top; foil packets when you want everyone to have their own. Same recipe, just split the apples and topping into foil squares for the packet version.
Can I use canned apple pie filling?
Absolutely — two cans replace the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Spread it in, add the oat topping, and bake. It's the fastest version and still excellent.

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