Over the years I have reviewed a number of Peak Refuel meals and found most of them to be on the very good end of the spectrum for commercial freeze-dried meals. They keep the meals simple, they are not watery, and for the savory entrees, are heavy on the meat. They taste fresh as well, not like having a can of spag-hett-ios freeze-dried.
So I was excited to order their new cobbler desserts that just came out. What would they taste like, would it work? At $11.99 each, they are not cheap, but are an indulgent treat that is reasonably affordable.
I have reviewed other crisps/cobblers over the years – and Trailtopia’s has been my favorite. This was a different take though on the genre. Most of these fruit or berry based desserts are fruit/berries, maybe in a thickened sauce and a granola is on top. So a cobbler got me excited that it’d be more hearty. Because just like breakfast, desserts are often where freeze-dried meal companies don’t get it right.
True to how Peak Refuel is, the contents were good quality. Big slices of peaches, crunchy cake bites and the sauce.
Both cobblers take 2/3 cups of water, so are low on the need for water in camp. A bonus.
Stir, seal and let sit for 10 minutes.
Peach cobbler.
The peaches plump with a nice chewy texture. It’s not overly sweet, or well cloyingly sweet, nor a fake taste at all. It was really good to be honest. Maybe not stellar in looks, but taste is what matters. Kirk really enjoyed the peach cobbler. And there’s no lack of peaches in it.
Mountain Berry.
It goes all pink/purple from the berries, but the flavor is there. Tart/sweet with still just a bit crunchy cake bites. I liked it. But I also like tart treats.
The Takeaway:
No, they do not look like the photos on the bags. But that’s OK.
While not the prettiest desserts, the smell and flavor are amazing. Peak Refuel got it right and it’s a solid set of desserts. A single hiker could easily eat the whole bag, but if you shared it, it’s just enough to sate your craving for a sugary treat. Each serving is 300 and 340 calories (depending on which flavor), so it’d fuel you all night in cool weather. And you’ll want to keep eating it. It doesn’t taste like a watery breakfast (looking at you Backpacker’s Pantry crisp…..)
It’s worth a try. The peach cobbler will easily impress a hiking partner if you whipped it up, and they had no idea there’d be dessert. They’d happily nosh it down, then wander off to their sleeping bag.
~Sarah