Cherry Pandowdy in a Dutch Oven

A pandowdy is a deep-dish fruit dessert covered with a sweet crust. It is typically made with apples, but any fruit will work. It is basically a messy (dowdy) pie, made with only a top layer of crust. Making this dessert an easy camping recipe to satisfy any sweet tooth on your next camping adventure.

Cherry Pandowdy Recipe

• Two Cans of Cherry Pie Filling
• Pre-Made Pie Crust (or make your own)
• Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Butter

Pour both cans of cherry pie filling directly into a well-seasoned Dutch Oven or a greased Dutch Oven liner. Place the pie crust any way you want on top of the cherry pie filling. Melt 1/4 cup of butter and brush the top of the crust with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Place about 14 briquettes on the top lid of the Dutch Oven and 7 below, setting the baking temperature to 350º. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Baking times will vary.

Ingredients

Cherry Pandowdy in a Dutch Oven is made with simple ingredients, making it a great camping recipe. Just use your favorite brand of cherry pie filling and pie crust. I am horrible at making pie crust, but I know others can swiftly make their own even in the middle of the woods. Hats off to you! I bought one, making my life a lot easier. Don’t forget the butter and sugar for a golden sweet crust topping for your pandowdy. Also don’t forget the can opener if your pie filling needs it.

Directions

The directions are easy. Just pour the cans of the pie filling into a well-seasoned Dutch Oven or use a greased Dutch Oven liner. I use a 10-inch Dutch Oven. If you use anything bigger, consider another can of cherries.

Next top with the pie crust. Place the crust any way you want. It’s ok if it’s a mess, it’s supposed to be that way.

Brush or spoon on the melted butter and top with sprinkled sugar.

Baking

Using a grilling chimney prepare approximately 21 briquettes. Place 14 on the top lid and 7 underneath the Dutch Oven. This is for a 10-inch Dutch Oven. If your oven is a different size follow the briquette chart that came with it or refer to the chart here. The cherry pandowdy will bake at 350º for approximately 30 minutes. Your baking time may be more or less. Bake until the crust is golden brown.

Serving

The best part of making a pandowdy is serving it up. Don’t worry about slicing it into perfect triangles. Just scoop it up into a dish. Serve warm. And if you happen to have whipped cream or ice cream on hand at the campsite add some of that too!

I did make the cherry pandowdy the first time with puff pastry on our last camping trip, but I didn’t like it as much as the pie crust. But you do whatever you like best! Check out other camping recipes here. Happy Camping!

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