Lauren Sakiyama
Making dessert in a Dutch oven is a camper’s dream come true, but you can do it indoors, too. Whether you’re craving cookies or cobbler, we’ve got you set with our top nine Dutch oven desserts.
Maybe you don’t think of cookies and cakes when you think of a Dutch oven, but we’d argue some of the best desserts come from these old-fashioned pots. Humans have been finding ways to make sweet treats in a Dutch oven for a long time. And now, you could say we’ve perfected them.
Dutch Oven Cakes
Traditionally, people cooked these over a campfire, but don’t pull out your flint and steel just yet. You can make these treats indoors thanks to your modern oven and have your cake without the campfire:
- Dutch Oven Apple Upside Down Cake. This recipe’s a bit complicated, but we think it’s worth the fuss. It includes an apple cider soak to infuse more apple flavor in the final cake. Plus, the chef who created the recipe used his grandmother’s pound cake as the base. How sweet is that?
Get the Recipe: Apple Upside Down Cake
- Dutch Oven Double Chocolate Cake: Dutch oven, Dutch chocolate—it just seems right. We love this recipe’s detailed campfire instructions, but of course, you can make it at home in your oven. Just bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 50 minutes. You can check it by sticking in a toothpick—if it comes out clean, your cake’s done!
Get the Recipe: Double Chocolate Dutch Oven Cake
- S’mores Cake: This is a 10-minute cake recipe. Yes, you read that right—10 minutes to ooey-gooey, chocolaty, marshmallowy goodness. Plus, given the relationship between Dutch ovens and camping, we can’t think of a more suitable Dutch oven dessert.
Get the Recipe: S’mores Cake
Cookies & Brownies
Cakes aren’t the only dessert you can make in a Dutch oven. If you’re more into brownies or cookies, give these a shot:
- Seven Layer Brownies: When everyday Dutch oven desserts won’t do, try these. Seven layers of coconut, toffee, pecans, and chocolate are sure to make everyone happy.
Get the Recipe: Seven Layer Brownies
- Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies: Giant chocolate chip cookies straight out of the Dutch oven? Count us in! This recipe has great campfire instructions, but you can easily get the same results if you bake in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven for about 12 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dutch Oven Brownies: If seven layers of brownie is just too much, never fear! You can also make classic fudge brownies in a Dutch oven. It’s a perfect camping recipe, but it’s also great if you find yourself short a brownie pan.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Oven Brownies
Cobblers & Other Classics
If you’d like something at least a bit more healthy (i.e., it has fruit in it), we’ve got some options:
- Easy Dutch Oven Cobbler: No matter which fruit you choose, a cobbler is always a great idea. They’re simple, unfussy and beloved, which makes them the ideal match for a Dutch oven.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Oven Cobbler
- Dutch Oven Cherry Clafoutis: Don’t let the term “clafoutis” intimidate you. It’s much harder to pronounce than it is to make. Traditionally, you make this simple French dessert with black cherries and a sweet batter, but you can use any stone fruit.
Get the Recipe: Cherry Clafoutis
- Dutch Baby: And last, but not least, we’ve come to the iconic Dutch oven dessert. This puffed-up pancake is delightful when you top it with fresh berries and powdered sugar. Sure, you can also make this one in a cast-iron skillet, but it just seems right to make a Dutch Baby in a Dutch oven. Again, this recipe is intended to be prepared over a campfire, but you can bake it in the oven at about 425 degrees Fahrenheit and get the same results.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Oven Dutch Baby
Now that you’ve satisfied that sweet tooth, you might wonder what else you can make in a Dutch oven. Spoiler alert: the answer is pretty much anything you want. Check out our recent collection of Dutch oven recipes and give this all-star kitchen apparatus some well-deserved attention.
