Solar Oven Trail Cookie Recipe

*Note: this recipe contains nut butter. Please confirm that your camper can eat nut butter and DO NOT USE if any of your campers has a nut allergy. Instead, use any of the nut-free Camp Stove Cooking recipes.

How long it’ll take: 10 minutes prep, 15-20 minutes baking time

What the goal is: campers will mix and bake their own cookies in their Solar Oven

What the objectives are: campers will discover how to create a simple cookie recipe, and how a solar oven works to bake food.

What you’ll need:

Your completed Pizza Box Solar Oven

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup nut butter (any kind works)

2 Tablespoons sticky liquid sweetener (honey or maple syrup, agave, etc.)

1/4 cup mix-ins (chocolate chips, dried cranberries, shredded cocounut, etc.)

What you’ll do:

1.Measure and mix the rolled oats, nut butter, sweetener and mix-ins together in a mixing bowl.

2. Stir well until thoroughly combined!

3. Roll into cookie-size balls and place in your solar oven.

4. Bake your cookies until they are warm and melty. They will be very soft (you may need to eat them out of a cup or bowl!)

To cook food in your solar oven: place solar oven on a flat, level surface in the direct sunlight. Place food inside oven and close the top of the box. Tape a piece of string to the outside of the flap. Be sure to secure it well. Pull the string back so the foil on the flap reflects sunlight onto the food in the oven. Tape the string down to the back of the pizza oven or tie it to a rock. You can peak through the plastic window to check on your food. When it’s melty and hot, it’s done! Instructors: use caution and help your campers remove hot food from their solar oven. The inner surfaces of the oven can get VERY hot!

*Food safety pro-tips: choose the items you bake wisely, and start with ingredients that are already safe to eat (so, pre-baked pizza crust is great! Avoid raw pizza dough or cookie dough with raw eggs which may not reach a high enough temperature to bake completely). Once food is cooked and hot, eat it right away. To avoid growth of bacteria that could cause illness, do not leave food in the solar oven for more than 1 hour.

While Food is cooking: ensure that your ovens are in a safe place and won't be disturbed by animals or pets.

How do solar ovens work? The reflective foil on your solar oven's flap and inner surfaces reflects the sunlight and shine it onto the black bottom (dark colors are best at absorbing heat). The air molecules inside the box move around quickly and generate lots of heat! The box traps the heat, and the oven gets hotter and hotter until your food is cooked.