Peanut Butter Brownie Dutch Oven Dump Cake
This easy dutch oven dump cake combines peanut butter and brownies and bakes over the campfire in one pot for a delicious camping dessert.
I love making dessert every night when we’re on a camping trip, but baking in a camp kitchen is not the easiest (or cleanliest) of tasks.
It’s a pain to mix up traditional cake, brownie or cookie batter while camping because the bowls and utensils are difficult to clean in a camp dishwashing sink.
I’m always looking for desserts that are camp-friendly; they have to be easy and delicious.
This peanut butter brownie recipe checks all of these boxes!
Best of all, it requires NO MIXING! All the ingredients are dumped into a dutch oven. If you use dutch oven parchment paper liners, there’s virtually no clean up for this camping dessert.
more dutch oven dump cake recipes
How to Cook Brownies over the Campfire
Cakes and brownies cook best in a dutch oven because the cast iron retains the heat and acts as an oven, something an aluminum pan covered with tin foil just can’t do.
If you don’t have a dutch oven in your camping kitchen box, I would highly suggest investing in one. It’s the one camping tool I can’t imagine living without!
Cook it in a Dutch Oven Over Charcoal Briquets
Cooking over charcoal briquets allows you to control the heat better than cooking over campfire embers.
I usually light charcoal and place it in the fire pit next to the fire to cook this dutch oven dessert on. So you can still have a campfire going while your dessert cooks more evenly over the coals.
Number of Coals Needed
A general rule of thumb when baking in a dutch oven is to use double the amount of coals on the top as the bottom. For my 12″ dutch oven, I used approximately 10 coals on bottom and 20 coals on top and cooked for about 30 minutes.
You can also use the campfire coals from a fire that has died down to cook these dutch oven brownies. Just be sure you have enough to also place on top of the dutch oven.
Ingredients in Dutch Oven Peanut Butter Brownies
- Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies: I love using Nutter Butter cookies in this recipe, but you can substitute any other kind of sandwich cookie here. (I needed about 16 cookies to cover the bottom of my 12″ dutch oven.)
- Sweetened Condensed Milk:
- Brownie Mix: A package of brownie mix makes this recipe SO easy.
- Peanut Butter: Any type of peanut butter works!
- Milk: Milk helps the brownie to cook evenly. Any level of milk fat content will work fine.
- Butter: The little pads of butter on top help the cake to fully cook through in all the spots so there aren’t any dry pockets.
a note from Jenny
I’ve made this recipe several times, but the last time I made it, I definitely burned the bottom.
There’s less liquid in this cake than a traditional dump cake, so be sure to keep a close eye on it after the 20 minute mark so the bottom doesn’t get overcooked.
Looking for other camping dessert ideas? Try out this these dutch oven camping desserts (coming soon).
How to make Brownies in a Dutch Oven
In this section you’ll find a step by step tutorial of how to make this recipe with photos. The full recipe with exact measurements, steps and a printable card can be found at the bottom of the post.
Scroll through the images to see the steps –>
1. Prepare Dutch Oven
Line your dutch oven with parchment paper (or dutch oven parchment paper liners). The parchment paper makes clean up a breeze, but you can also use cooking spray or butter to coat the inside of the dutch oven.
2. Arrange cookies
Place peanut butter sandwich cookies in a single layer on the bottom of the dutch oven. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top.
3. Add peanut butter
Dollop small spoonfuls of peanut butter across the top. The smaller the dollops of peanut butter, the more it incorporates into the brownies when cooking.
4. Cover with Brownie Mix
Dump brownie mix on top, spreading across the top evenly.
5. Top with Liquid and Butter
Pour milk evenly over the top of the dry brownie mix.
Then, thinly slice the butter and arrange those evenly across the top of the ingredients.
6. Cook over Charcoal Briquets
Place the dutch oven on top of 10 pieces of charcoal (evenly spaced apart or in a ring) with 20 pieces of charcoal on top of the dutch oven lid (again, evenly spaced apart or in a ring around the outside).
Charcoal numbers are based on a 12″ dutch oven. If you have a smaller dutch oven, lower the number of coals, but keep the 2:1 ratio of coals on top to coals on bottom the same.
Cooking times are approximate and will depend on air temperature and well as wind conditions.
Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, checking after 25 minutes to make sure the bottom isn’t burning.
5. Enjoy!
I never bring ice cream on camping trips, but I might need to make an exception next time I make this recipe.
Melted vanilla ice cream on top of these peanut butter brownies is absolutely incredible!
Peanut Butter Brownie Dump Cake
Equipment
- 1 cast iron dutch oven
- 1 dutch oven parchment paper liner
Ingredients
- 16 peanut butter sandwich cookies
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 box brownie mix
- 8 oz milk
- 4 tbsp butter, salted
Instructions
- Line dutch oven with parchment paper or grease the inside with butter.
- Lay the Nutter Butter cookies into the bottom of the dutch oven in a single layer. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cookies.
- Add peanut butter in small dollops across the top. Dump brownie mix on top and spread out evenly.
- Pour milk over the top of the brownie mix, as evenly as possible (do not stir). Then, place thin slices of butter across the top of the ingredients.
- Cover and place dutch oven over 10 pieces of charcoal. Add approximately 20 pieces of charcoal to the top. (Number of coals for 12" dutch oven. Reduce if using a smaller dutch oven.)
- Cook for approximately 30 minutes (cook time will vary) and remove from heat once the cake is cooked through. (After 25 minutes, check every 5 minutes to make sure the bottom doesn't burn.)
- Top with vanilla ice cream or just scoop right out of the dutch oven to enjoy!
Nutrition
Let me know if you make this recipe! I hope everyone in your camping crew enjoys it.