Valentines day is coming up, which reminds me of one of my favourite things to make on a backpacking trip: Backcountry Chocolate Fondue! It’s actually pretty easy and I guarantee anyone you make it for will be impressed.

Backcountry chocolate fondue is a great dessert to make on a backpacking trip, on a hut trip, or even on a stargazing night hike. Make it for your significant other for a romantic treat or for a group of friends to say thanks for a great day spent on the trails together. It’s also a great camping alternative to birthday cake and is extra special when served on a snowy trip.

You don’t need any special cooking equipment either – you can make it on a backpacking stove with your regular pot set.

Table of Contents

You will need:

Backpacking stove (hopefully one that simmers)
Two pots that nest inside each other
A pot lifter
Stirring spoon
A fork or spork for each person
Chocolate (duh!). This can be chocolate chips or chocolate bars broken up into smaller pieces and can be milk or dark of flavoured or whatever you prefer. Plan on about 75-100 grams of chocolate per person.
Things to dip: cookies, graham crackers, dried or fresh fruit, sponge cake, marshmallows, pretzels, whatever you like
One tablespoon per person of a liqueur like Grand Marnier, Kahlua or Frangelico
Water

Impress your friends on your next camping trip... make backcountry chocolate fondue with this easy recipe.

Instructions:

1. Prepare your ingredients: Break up the chocolate into very small pieces. Cut up your fruit and cake. Fill the large pot with an inch or so of water. Put the chocolate and liqueur in the smaller pot.

2. Assemble your stove and light it. Place the large pot on the stove, then carefully nest the smaller pot inside the bigger pot. The smaller pot should float on the water in the large pot without the water rising too high up the sides of the pot. If you have too much water, dump a little bit out.

3. Bring the stove to a simmer, stirring the chocolate mixture constantly. You don’t want it to burn! You might need to use your pot lifter to lift the pot off the stove every minute or so while continuing to stir to keep it from getting too hot. This is especially important if your stove doesn’t really simmer (most of them don’t!)

4. Once the chocolate is melted all the way, serve and enjoy! Use your pot lifter to lift the large pot (with the small pot inside) off the stove on to the table. The heat from the boiling water in the big pot should keep the fondue in the smaller pot warm enough. Just be careful when you eat since the smaller pot is still floating in the larger one – use the pot lifter to steady the smaller pot.

That’s it. It’s that easy!

What is your favourite thing to dip in chocolate fondue? Let me know in the comments.

Want more camping food ideas?

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Taryn Eyton

Hiker, adventure traveller, Leave No Trace trainer and connoisseur of alpine meadows. My book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia, is available now.