The best thing I've ever eaten: Warm, gooey campfire brownies

"These are the best things I've ever tasted."

I think that's what my 10-year-old said when we first made these delicious brownies several years ago in a campfire at Interlochen State Park. I had to agree with her — in fact, five years later, if I for some reason was put on death row and needed to request a last meal, these suckers would be all there was on my takeout order.

There is nothing like food cooked over a campfire, and these brownies are among the easiest, most tasty campfire foods you can make. They require a little bit of experimentation (I hear you can also use cinnamon rolls or blueberry muffin mix as well), but that's the fun part of campfire cooking!

Here's what you need:

• 4 oranges (get 'em big — navel oranges work best)
• 1 package brownie mix (if you don't want to mess with eggs, oil, etc. try using the "No Pudge Fudge" brand, since it only requires yogurt)

Slice off the top third of each orange and remove the pulp and juice with a spoon (see above). You can reserve a little of the  juice to mix into the batter, or just eat it yourself. Mix the batter then spoon it into the hollowed-out orange shells. You'll only want to fill them about halfway; if you overfill they'll expand and you'll waste all that yumminess. Wrap the oranges in foil (two layers), then bury them each about halfway up in the coals of your fire. DO NOT put them directly in the flames.

It will take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes for the batter to cook into the warmest, gooiest, most delicious chocolate cake you've ever had. Seriously, these things are amazing. It might be worth it to whip up a batch in your backyard bonfire, and not wait just to go camping to enjoy these.

What's your favorite campfire dessert? Leave a recipe (or idea) in the comments.

 

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