Canoejack,

Thanks for reminding me of that old baked apple trick.  I haven't done it in the Q, but I might next year.  We used to do them as kids on family camping trips and in the fireplace at home.

A couple of other related hints:

Try to wrap the foil in such a way that the foil is your bowl for eating the apple.  Make sure you can easily unwrap without tearing up the foil too much.

Sprinkle the inside of the apple with cinnamon before you put the other stuff in.  Also a tablespoon or two of raisins inside also adds to the flavor, if you have them along.

Lay out a soft shell tortilla and spread peanut butter on the middle half or so.  Add three large marshmallows and sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the top. 

Roll the tortilla shell with the ingredients in it so it resembles a tube, then wrap the entire thing in a single layer of aluminum foil.

Set the wrapped tortilla in the fire or on the coals.  Let it sit for a few minutes, but turn it occasionally so it bakes evenly.

When you're all done, you have a glorified S'more that's pretty darn tasty!

I have, in the past, made many desserts from scratch . . . brownies, cake, crepes, pies, etc.  However, I think those days may be gone forever. 

On the trip I just completed, we had dessert every evening with dinner and one concern was to have enough fuel for our 2-week trip.  One concession I made was to take instant desserts that did not require cooking or heating.  My selections included:

Mountain House Blueberry Cheesecake (for 4...all others for 2)
Backpacker's Pantry Lemon Cream Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Mocha Mousse Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Banana Cream Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Strawberry Cheesecake

These typically weigh in at between 3.5 and 5 oz. each (except for the Blueberry Cheesecake--6.5 oz).  All are prepared by mixing with COLD water (not a problem in May) and the taste and consistency of each was EXCELLENT.  I was both pleased and a bit surprised.

They may not be quite as good as a freshly baked brownie, but then the preparation time is typically about 2-3 minutes and the set-up time 8-10 minutes!  That you can do while you are waiting for your walleye fillets to brown in the skillet.  The other downside is that they all come in foil lined pouches, so you'll have to pack it out (after you burn off the paper, probably) but it does make the package water proof.  Finally, these desserts mix in a bowl, not directly in the package.  I found my miniature whisk very useful for mixing them.

Of course, I threw in a couple of the old reliable packets from Natural High (Three Berry Cobbler and Apple Cinn. Crisp), but they take boiling water and are frankly not nearly as tasty.

So, I'll start my future trip planning with ... How many of these "instant" desserts do I pack?

FYI:  I can't find all of these brands and choices locally, but I did find (and buy) most all of them from Wildnerness Ventures (a.k.a. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)) of Irvine, CA using their web site.  BTW:  The used on Wilderness Dining is not an endorsement ... its just who I used.

dd

Uncle Ben's markets a Cinnamon & Raisin Rice pudding, which is pretty good to this I, will add extra raisins.  It takes about 15 mins to prepare using Milkman powdered milk, which has some butter fat content as the carrier. This has been a standard dessert for me over the past 5 years.

Bona Petite!
flp

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Yes.  I've done the same thing on backcountry trips before.  Just keep in mind that bottles and cans are verbotin in the Q, making the use of evaporated milk a bit more problematic (although I did locate a vintage trash dump on my Scripture Island campsite this summer...complete with relic tin/steel cans).

dd