Super Simple Apple Cobbler and Cooking with Coals From a Fire

This is a fun and delicious recipe!  It came from Cyndi Boyer and was printed in the Spring 2011 Dutch Oven News.  We had a hot dog roast on the back of our property and it was the perfect way to end the evening. 

I have to admit, I did have a few problems when I made this.  Not with the recipe, but with the fact that it was my first time trying to cook with coals from a fire.  Talk about an eye opening experience.  I thought I was pretty good at gauging heat by feel, but it turns out I'm not.  Truth be told, I was just nervous about trying it so I didn't get my oven hot enough.  It was the same feeling I had when I first started this whole dutch oven adventure last year, and look how that turned out.  I'll only get better.

Here is what I learned my first time out.  

First, the coals you use should look a lot like charcoal do.  Not in shape, but in color.  Some will be covered in ash, some black and grey and some glowing red.  The key is that they are all hot.

Next, you have to figure out how many coals to use.  This is where I think the Dinwiddie method comes in handy.  The main premise behind it is that if you cover a certain amount of surface area your oven will get hot enough to cook with.  So I tried to make sure that the coals I used from the fire covered roughly the same surface area that the rings of charcoal would.  Easier said than done, I know, but it was a good place to start.

Finally, just check your food as it cooks.  If it isn't cooking as fast as it should, grab a shovel and add some more coals, if its cooking too fast, remove some.  Just like when you use briquettes.

Its really not that different from using charcoal.  You just have to pay attention and make adjustments when necessary.  I won't be nearly as intimidated next time I use coals from a fire.  And I'm pretty sure I'll be raiding the wood shed again soon!  I'd love to hear how you have adjusted to using real coals!

I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures while this was cooking, but I was so preoccupied with the real coals that I completely forgot.

Super Simple Apple Cobbler

12" dutch oven

3 large (21 oz.) cans apple pie filling

2 cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls (Like Pillsbury) with icing

Dump all three cans of pie filling in your dutch oven.  Open the cinnamon rolls and separate into individual rolls.  With kitchen shears, quarter the cinnamon rolls and sprinkle in a single layer over the pie filling.  Bake at 350° until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Drizzle with icing and serve.

Day 82: Blueberry Dump Cobbler

Since I'm still feeling awful, my 3 oldest kids took over the dutch oven duties for me yesterday. Bless them for wanting to help! They have all watched me cook DO, but not done it themselves. So they put everything together and started the coals. I told them when the coals were ready and how many to use and they did the rest!

Blueberry Dump Cobbler

12" dutch oven

2 bags frozen blueberries

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2-1 cup brown sugar

1 box white cake mix

1 can cream soda

Pour both bags of blueberries into your DO. Sprinkle them with the white sugar. Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the berries. Gently pour the cream soda over the cake mix. Then sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes using 15 coals on top and 9 on the bottom or until it is hot and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

The Review

The kids did a great job on this. I am really proud of them. The only thing I would change is next time I will use 2 boxes of cake mix. The cake all sunk into the berries and I wanted more of a crust. Other than that, it was great. This gets an A just because my kids are great!

Day One: Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2010 is great for one and all!

So here I am, outside in 25 degree weather, 4" of snow on the ground and the wind is blowing. Not a banner day to be cooking outside. I guess I will count my blessings that it isn't raining cats and dogs! Now that the patio is shoveled and my gear is assembled, I am nervously ready to go. I'm just not sure that I can get this right. I love to cook, and I am pretty handy in the kitchen. There isn't much I can't cook. But I am not ashamed to say that cooking in a dutch oven terrifies me. I can't just push a button and have the temperature exactly where I need it. This is going to take some courage on my part. In the kitchen, if a recipe flops I can usually salvage it enough to make it edible, but in the dutch oven, I'm not so sure. So for my first dutch oven meal in about 5 years (or longer), I decided to try something that I can't possibly screw up. This recipe has only 2 ingredients, and should be a big confidence booster for me (in theory, anyway). the recipe is called Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler. It is from a book by Marla Rawlings called "The Beginner's Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking".

Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler

10" dutch oven

1 16 oz. package refrigerator sugar cookie dough

2 cans any flavor pie filling (I used apple)

Pour the pie filling into the oiled dutch oven. If you oiled your ovens after the last time you used it you don't need to re-oil it. Slice the cookie dough and place it on top of the filling. Cover and cook with 8 coals on the bottom and 12 coals on top for 30-40 minutes. (Remember take the size of dutch oven and subtract 2 for the number of bottom coals and add 2 for the number of top coals.) Rotate lid and oven while cooking to ensure even heating. I rotated mine every 10 minutes.

The finished product.

What I learned

I have to admit this was easier than I thought it would be. Using the formula for adding coals was easy. I did learn that you do not put coals on the center of the lid or under the center of the oven because they seemed to cause a hot spot and the cookie dough browned faster in the center. Once I moved the coals to the outside it was fine. It is a good idea to put aluminum foil on the ground under the coals. I keeps the coals from staining the concrete. I also learned that it really does take 30-40 minutes to get the coals going. I need to plan ahead better.

The Review

This recipe was pretty good. I mean what can you expect from two ingredients. I was too sweet for me, but my kids ate it up--literally. It definitly needed the cool whip or ice cream, and I still washed it down with milk. This recipe is great for kids, and boy scouts would probably love it. I think there are better recipes out there, and I think I will find them before I give this one a try again.

Come back tomorrow for a yummy Ham and Cheese Potato Casserole.