Pairing silky smooth chocolate with an assortment of delicious dippers, this Camp Chocolate Fondue is one of the most decadent (and simplest!) camping desserts we’ve ever made! Recipe and content by Fresh Off the Grid (@FreshOfftheGrid)
The only thing more incredible than camping chocolate fondue is just how simple it is to make. All you need is a small pot and a small bowl and you’re in business! Fill the pot halfway with water, bring it to a simmer, and place a metal bowl on top. This creates a double boiler. Steam rising from the water heats the bottom of the bowl, and melts the chocolate. By using steam rather than direct flame as the heat source, it becomes virtually impossible to scorch the chocolate. What we love about this chocolate fondue is that it’s every bit as interactive as making s’mores, but you don’t need to have a campfire to pull it off. It also opens up an entire world of dipping possibilities: strawberries, pretzels, bananas, mini-marshmallows, apples, rice crispy treats, graham crackers, ginger snaps. There are just a lot of creative options to try out. So if you’re ready to discover your new favorite camping dessert, grab your stuff and let’s make chocolate fondue! Why We Love Them
- Unbelievably decadent yet unbelievably simple
- Any small pot and metal (titanium, enamel, stainless) bowl will work!
- Unlimited assortment of dipping options
- Interactive camping dessert, making it a great alternative to s’mores
- Campfire not required
Ingredients
Chocolate bar: The fondue will only be as good as the chocolate you use, which is why we suggest picking up a high-quality chocolate bar, like from this post’s sponsor, Endangered Species Chocolate. We used their Smooth + Creamy Milk Chocolate bar for this recipe, which resulted in a deliciously silky smooth fondue.
Milk or cream: A little bit of milk or cream (we used oat milk) is needed to smooth out the texture of the fondue. Add a little bit at a time as it can quickly become too thin. Stir vigorously.
Dippers: Nearly everything tastes good when coated in chocolate, so this can be a great place to really get creative. Our favorite chocolate dipper ideas are cookies, marshmallows, mini stroopwafels, bananas, strawberries, graham crackers, pretzels, apple slices, and biscotti. (We really think how much fresh fruit can be integrated into this dessert)
Essential Equipment
Small Sauce Pot: You have a lot of options here. Any small saucepot, backpacking pot, or even a rapid water boiler like a Jetboil will work.
Steel enamel, steel, or titanium bowl:You want a food-safe, single-walled metal bowl that will sit loosely on top of your water boiler.* The heat from the simmering water will rise up and gently heat the bottom of the bowl. Those ubiquitous blue speckled enamel camp bowls work perfectly for this! *Do NOT use a bowl if it fits really snuggly into your water boiler - like if you can really shove it down in there. We want to make chocolate fondue, not a steam-pressurized pipe bomb.
Glove: The edges of the steel enamel bowl are going to be warm/hot. Not crazy hot, but still hot enough you may want to have a glove to lift the bowl off the boiler top. But if the outside air temperature is chilly, you may not even need a glove at all.
Tips on Making Camp Chocolate Fondue
- Thoroughly clean your bowl. You don’t want any of last night’s chili contaminating your chocolate! Or maybe you do. To each their own.
- One chocolate bar is more than enough for 2-3 people! Don’t overdo it!
- Once the water starts to boil, adjust the heat to bring it down to a simmer. Or, if your stove doesn’t have great simmer control, just turn it off. The carryover heat from the water will continue to warm the bowl for a while.
- Use a gloved hand when handling the bowl. It won’t be crazy hot, but better safe than sorry.
- Some dippers can be done by hand (e.x. graham crackers), but others should be done with either skewers or a fork (e.x. strawberries).
- Once fully melted the chocolate will stay warm for a while, so you can take it off the stove and place it on the table. (Good idea if you have kids!)
- If you find that you have leftovers, just cover the bowl with aluminum foil and place it in the cooler. It can be reheated again whenever you want.
How to Make Camp Chocolate Fondue: Step-by-step
Ingredients:- 1 Endangered Species Smooth + Creamy Milk Chocolate bar
- 1/4 cup milk
- Assorted dippers of choice
- Fill up your pot halfway with water and start heating it up over your heat source.
- Chop up your chocolate bar into small chunks and transfer them to your enamel metal bowl.
- Place the bowl gently over the top of the pot. Using a gloved hand, hold the rim of the bowl and stir using a spoon or mini spatula until the chocolate begins to melt. Continue stirring until all the large chunks of chocolate have melted.
- Add milk to the melted chocolate to achieve your preferred consistency. Initially, when you add the milk the chocolate will sort of “break”, but keep stirring and it will integrate together.
- If the pot starts to boil too aggressively, turn down the heat or turn it off completely. The carryover heat from the water will keep the chocolate warm.
- For adults, you can proceed to dip with the bowl still on top of the pot. This keeps the chocolate warmer for longer.
- For kids, you can remove the bowl from the pot and place it down on the table. If the chocolate starts to cool, you can return it to the pot and place it back over the heat at any time.
