Pudgy pies: a staple at campgrounds across the Midwest. Warm, gooey, and customizable, they’re a satisfying way to upgrade your cooking-over-the-fire game. But what is a pudgy pie?
To clear up the first misconception, no, pudgy pies are not actually pies, but rather toasted sandwiches. And they’re the perfect vessel to deliver deliciousness to your mouth when all you’ve got to cook with is a fire and you need something to balance out all the s’mores.
While the exact origin is elusive, pudgy pies, also known as jaffles or Toasties, are sandwiches cooked in pie irons, which are comprised of two concave, cast-iron plates (typically square or round in shape) with a long handle attached.
One of the best things about pudgy pies is how simple they are to prepare. All you need to do is pile fillings between two pieces of bread, place the bread in the pie-iron, clamping it shut, and holding the whole thing over some open flames.
Once the bread is toasted and the fillings are warmed through, you remove the sandwich from the pie iron and dig right in. It’s kind of like a campfire panini, but with way less cleanup.
The options for pudgy pie sandwiches are limitless. You can make anything from a classic toasted cheese sandwich, to a taco-inspired sammy, to a warm and oozy PB&J, or even crack an egg, add some cheese, and make an epic breakfast sandwich.
Craving dessert? You can pudgy pie that too. Add chocolate, marshmallows, and crumbled graham crackers for a s’more sandwich, or spread Nutella between bread and pile on the berries and bananas. It’s all up to you.
You can find pie irons at camping stores, mega-stores like Target, and of course, on Amazon.
The campfire classic has recently exploded in popularity in certain areas of the world. There’s even a “The Jaffle Shack” in Australia, where upgraded and imaginative versions of the classic sandwich are served along side lattes.
So next time you’re going camping, grab a pie iron, and get pudgy. All your friends will be happy you showed them just what a pudgy pie is, and all it can be.