The Krispy Kreme post has got me thinking, what is everyones favorite canoe country treat.  I've tried the freeze dried "apple brown betty" and was pretty impressed.  Whats worked for everyone else?

You mean there's more to camping desserts than Copenhagen and Scotch?

Kidding actually.  Cheesecake is a standard and we put the dutch oven to use for brownies as well.

Partial to Kodiak PJ.  But not opposed to the scotch.  Also usually bring some peanut M & M's

Cache Lake Pudding. Vanilla is the best in my world but the chocolate is not bad.  High sugar content and it sets up pretty well even in warm weather.

TB

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Thanks canoejack,

That sounds really good & easy. What kind of apples work the best & how long do you leave them on the coals?

WW

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

IMHO Sanalac is much better than Carnation. What's really, really good is instant chocolate pudding poured over cheesecake! Two great tastes that taste great together.

I find a wet towel in a windy spot cools a bit better than lake water and you never have to worry about lake water finding it's way into the pan.

Hey dlk - Here I thought it was the rum that made the hot coco thin. I think you put me on to something here. I could just mix a little into the zip-loc at home too right?

What is blueberry bannock and how do I make it?

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My opinion is the same, I always take it.

I also take cherry pie filling, sometimes whole, but usually
dried. It's kind if a gooey mess, but the taste is hard to beat.

-aj

Sanalac is a brand of powdered milk. To me, it tastes better, not sure why. I always use ''a little extra'' in recipes calling for powdered milk. For example, in the bannock recipe above, 3/4 cup may actually be 1 cup, or thereabouts. I do the same with puddings and anything else requiring milk. 8)

I don't measure either. I just provided the recipe (with measurements) because I was asked. Anything close is good, more is better.

PS  Snowdog will offer a different perspective. That's why we're brothers.

Also - Sanalac comes in a big box full of of individual quart sized foil pkgs. It took me years to go through a box on just cheesecake and pudding and I've noticed no deterioration in flavor.

It's been more years since I used Carnation. The problems I noticed with it were, it wouldn't keep from year to year, it's consistency would change. Caking, yellowing... so I'd have to get a new box every year and even then it had a certain 'boxy' stale flavor. It was OK for choc pudding but not great for cheesecake. Grainy, gritty sounds familiar too.

FWIW - It's been a while since I purchased either so things may have changed. I don't know what either would taste like as just milk and I'd rather have a nobake cheesecake than a real one anytime.

yadda-yadda - Hey it's November:
Since most of my trips are solo, I'll split a box of cheesecake into quarters by weight (as exactly as possible;-)). The required milk powder, mix and crumbs (w/ added sugar) are bagged separately inside a ziplock that with the addition of a little water becomes both shaker and bowl. Add filtered water to the milk and shake. Add mix - shake. Add the butter sealed crumbs on top and wrap in a wet towel while the Walleye is frying... Serve w/ coffee followed by a quiet evening paddle... Pure heaven and the night has just begun. There's still cocoa and rum laced with, oh I don't know, perhaps Coffee Mate? - Life's little pleasures are in the details...

As for powdered milk, my school  cafeteria manager gave me about 10 lbs of powedered milk... two years ago, I have taken what I need to use in BWCA, and the rest I keep sealed in air tight jars and it is still good.  I even use it around the house in making cornbread or pancakes or bannock or other things of that nature that putting milk in makes it better.  I can't remember the brand name of this milk, but it is good...  Mixed with water you can't tell much difference in it and skim milk as for taste.

Bruce

Has anyone tried Milkman instant milk? We use this exclusively for trips we can't tell the difference between it and 2%. It even taste good on cereal.
flp

Generally, I do not mix up powdered milk or instant milk either one for drinking in the BW, rather I mix it dry with what ever mix I am planning on using milk with, or that calls for milk in the mixture and then mix it all together at the same time when I cook it.  For desserts that I carry and prepare, I just figure the amount of powdered milk required to make the mixture and place all of it together in a small plastic bag which is rolled tight to remove air and placed in a larger stronger bag marked "desserts" or "Breakfast" to keep things nice and orderly.  By the way... the milk I use is from the USDA, or commonly called "commodity milk" and therefore no brand name... but really very good!!

Bruce

Here are a few that we've done.

First off, for the apples, instead of brown sugar we use red hots.

Here is another one, if you like bananas (I don't, but...). Anyways, take a banana, cut a flap lenghtwise so that you can get at most of the banana. Remove some of the banana and replace with mini marshmellows and mini chocolate chips. Replace the flap, wrap in tinfoil and place over the coals for a little while. Remove and eat.

Another nice little way to spice up marshmellows over the fire is to add a caramel square. Just push the marshmellow down a little further and place a caramel square on the end of the stick. Brown the caramel and marshmellow then when you remove the marshmellow, it pulls up and over the caramel.