Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts

We are a family of campers. Sometimes that means we are out in our travel trailer and sometimes that means we are in our rooftop CVT Tent, up above the ground, on the back of our converted military trailer. The one theme that is universal to our camping, no matter the vehicle, sleeping arrangements, location or weather, is that we eat really, really well when we camp!! One of our favorite meals is my Dutch Oven Lasagna followed by our go to dessert of Dutch Oven Peach Raspberry Cobbler. My husband always requests the Hungry Man Breakfast, so that has to be on the menu, but my new favorite way to enjoy a sweet treat while camping, are these simple Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts.

Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts are fun to make and taste great!!!

I am not much of a breakfast eater. Not much that is, until we go camping! There is something about the smell of sizzling bacon and sausage on the flat top griddle and coffee percolating away, to really make you feel the “ahhhhh” of the camping experience. I have lots of recipes I like to make while we are out “roughing it,” but one of the sweetest is Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts.

These are donuts made in an iron skillet, either over the flames of a fire or on a camp stove. I typically use our Camp Chef stove because I can control the temperature of the oil easier, but both methods work. When you cook with hot oil, you always want to get yourself organized first. Get your things laid out, from the paper towels to drain the hot, fried donut, to the cinnamon sugar mixture ready to go.

Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts are just 4 ingredients to a fresh, hot, donut you made yourself!!

When we make these Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts, the camp fills up with the sweet smell of cinnamon donuts. Our fellow campers gather around to pluck these from the cinnamon sugar, piping hot. I used to make small batches and was done in a snap. Word has spread though, so now we have lots of visitors over in the morning to chat while eyeing the iron skillet full of frying, golden brown donuts. That’s okay with me, that is one of the fun things about camping with common groups and acquaintances.

First, you will need to decide if you are cooking over the fire pit or a camp stove. I love our Camp Chef stove. It is sturdy, reliable and provides even heat, so I usually cook on that. I always use my iron skillet with a thick hot pad in hand. The iron skillet is heavy duty, meaning it has a thick bottom and sides. It is known for its heat retention and it doesn’t get discolored (it’s already black) if the flames dance up and lick the sides.

For the sake of safety, make sure whatever you are putting your skillet on, is level and on solid footing. Once you put the oil in it, you won’t want to be moving it around too much. Fill the iron skillet about 1/3 full of cooking oil. You will want the oil to be shimmering hot. I don’t normally take a thermometer out camping, so I tear off a piece of dough and toss it in the oil and see if it floats and starts to brown. If it drops to the bottom of the skillet, the oil is not hot enough. If it browns immediately, the oil is too hot, turn it down to medium-low or your donut will be brown on the outside and raw in the middle.

As the oil is heating up, carefully, poke a hole through the biscuit and widen the hole a little more to make the shape of a donut. If you have a mini biscuit or cookie cutter, even better. Then carefully place the biscuits into the hot oil in batches of 3 or 4. Once one side is golden brown, carefully flip it over to cook the other side. Once both sides of the donut are golden brown, remove them from the hot oil with tongs and set them on paper towels to drain for a moment, then drop them one or two at a time, into a paper bag or bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat evenly.

As hard as it is, you will want to let these Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts cool for a few minutes before eating. These are a finger food, so it’s easy to hold your coffee or hot chocolate in one hand and your warm donut in the other. I am positive that these will quickly become a family favorite and you will be the talk of the camp! If you love camping as much as we do, you will definitely want to try a few of the other camping favorites we make often. Enjoy!!

I love to make Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts. Do you have a favorite campfire treat your family likes?