Introduction: Doughboys Campfire Recipe
Cooking Dough Boys over a campfire is what great childhoods are made of! This easy and fun camping dessert is great for kids of all ages and is super tasty.
Every summer of my Canadian youth, my family would head to our cabin where almost all the food we made was cooked on/in the fire. My favorite by far was cooking doughboys on sticks. It was fun because I got to build and cook it myself, which made it taste even better to me.
Since then I've made these part of backyard and beach bonfire parties and they are always a huge hit!
Let's get busy learning how to make these tasty outdoor treats!
Step 1: Supplies
- biscuit dough mix
- milk
- 4' x 1" dowels with one end rounded (like pictured)
- large mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cup (or any old cup will do)
- things to fill your doughboy with (see step 6 for suggestions)
And of course a campfire!
Step 2: Dry Goods
Measure out the amount of biscuit mix the recipe on the box calls for. (Mine called for 2 1/4 cups of mix and it made 8 doughboys.)
Add it to the mixing bowl and use the spoon to create a little crater or well in the center of the bowl for you to pour the milk into.
Step 3: Measure & Mix
Measure out the milk called for in the recipe and slowly add it to the mix, stirring as you go. DO NOT dump all the milk in at once. Just keep adding it a little bit at a time until the dough holds together, but isn't too sticky. Too sticky will equal very doughy hands instead of only slightly doughy hands.
Step 4: Building Your Boys
Scoop out a small handful of dough and form it around the rounded end of your dowel. The thinner the dough, the faster and more evenly it will cook, so shoot for a dough 'wall' thickness of 3/16 - 1/4". Also be sure to completely cover the end of the stick (no holes or gaps) so when you add the butter and jam once it's cooked, it wouldn't drip out*.
*Doughboys are basically vehicles for delicious things like butter, jams, fresh fruit, etc.
Step 5: Patience Young Grasshopper
Place your doughboy 8-10" away from the coals of a low burning fire. Slowly rotate the stick (think rotisserie) until it's cooked. (about 4-6 minutes)
You will know that it's cooked all the way through when you can pull it off the stick with no resistance. If it doesn't want to budge, cook it a little longer and then do the pull test again. Repeat until it slides off easily.
Step 6: The Delicious Part
Now it's time to reap the rewards of all your hard work and patience. And by this I of course mean BUTTER!
Fill your cooked doughboy with anything you want! Here are some great things to try:
butter & jam
whipped cream & fresh fruit
ice cream
Nutella & chopped nuts
hot dog
scrambled eggs & cheese
peanut butter & honey
figs & honey
cream cheese & strawberries
bacon & cheese
I like to set up a little buffet of different options so everyone can choose their own taste adventure.
Step 7: Happy Camping!
It's a little more effort than roasting marshmallows, but trust me, you will be the star of the campsite for going the extra dessert mile.
Happy outside-ing!!

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35 Comments
8 years ago on Introduction
So trying this in a fire pit with an array of fillings to choose from! Has it ever been tried with cookie dough or a more dessert type dough?
Reply 3 years ago
Has to be a dough that will bake and not fall off dowel. So I'd say no. 😥
Reply 3 years ago
Canned cinnamon rolls would work perfectly, however! I'm gonna try those!!!! Enjoy!!! Yumlicious!!!!!
8 years ago
I am reading this at my vacation camp site. Next trip to town for supplies will include stuff to try these. They look great! Nice instructable. Can you cheat with biscuit dough?
Reply 3 years ago
Definitely! We use a can of biscuits and purchase new clean wooden dowel rods at Home Depot or like store! Works great! We always to butter and jam with them for our breakfast, but these other ideas sound delish!!!! Must try!
Get creative and enjoy with your children and grandchildren!
BLESSINGS!
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
You absolutely can. ;)
Reply 8 years ago
Bwahaha! "can", I hope you did that on purpose.
6 years ago
Nice project! I'd like to reprint this in Wood-Fired Magazine. Please contact me at editor@woodfiredmag.com
6 years ago
We've made these on Boy Scout camp-outs forever. I did them as a young Girl Scout, too, back in, say, 1493... We just used the sticks God provided all over the ground - cleaned the ends off some (or not), played around safely with our official Scout knives, and wrapped on the dough. Works well with roasted apples, too, as my son discovered on a Scout camp-out. Drip a little butter into the finished product, add cinnamon if desired...pardon me, time to go outdoors and build a fire - no wildfire concerns in our three feet of snow!
8 years ago on Introduction
Boy oh boy do I ever want to try these. I alway have the 2 main ingredients on hand, and I just have to find someone with a fire!
Reply 6 years ago
We live in Alaska and I cook outdoors a lot, any time of year. Come on over!
8 years ago
What kind of fire ring is that?
Reply 7 years ago
I was wondering myself if that is an old iron washtub. When they crack, you don't throw them away, you make fire in them.
8 years ago on Introduction
I had never heard of "doughboys" in this context before, so I had to read the instructions to figure out what they had to do with WWI infantry.
8 years ago
Awesome. Thanks for the fresh idea. But no maple syrup?!?!?!?...Eh. Just kidding Thanks again. ..
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
errr wait wait, you leave maple syrup home when camping ....eeaaakkk!!!
8 years ago on Step 6
I'm not a biscuit person but always enjoyed making "Bread on a Stick". The campfire gives them a great taste and like marshmallows everyone has their own preference for how they like them cooked.
8 years ago on Introduction
great idea! thank you, gonna do this...
8 years ago on Introduction
This is so cool! Thank you for showing us doughboys.
8 years ago on Introduction
Nice! I'm salivating, reliving my camping childhood. Now I'm remembering silver turtles to go with these doughboys lol