This tasty dessert is a fun treat that the kids will love! It's easy to make so it's a great "rainy day" project.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Super easy recipe—no oven or stove needed!
- A creative, fun dessert for Halloween parties.
- Oreo cookies and a chocolate pudding layer are tasty for adults, too.
Filled with gummy worms, Nutter Butter ghosts, candy pumpkins, and fall leaf sprinkles, these fun Halloween dirt cups are the festive treat you need to make this year!
I'm warning you now, this easy dessert is eerie-sistibly delicious!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
You'll be able to find most of the ingredients in your local grocery store. Here are the instructions to make easy Nutter Butter ghosts.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Mix the milk and instant pudding together.
- Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor until they resemble dirt.
- Fold the cool whip into the pudding.
- Add a layer of crumbs to the cups then a layer of pudding, then another layer of Oreo crumbs. Decorate with gummy worms and ghosts.
🥫 Storage
Halloween dirt pudding cups are best served upon assembly. However, they'll last for a few hours before the chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs start to get soggy.
If you want to prep the Oreo dirt cups a few hours in advance, simply cover each cup with some plastic wrap, or place as many cups as you can fit into gallon-sized plastic bags.
Be careful not to spill them, and refrigerate until serving time!
Leftovers won't keep until your next Halloween party (now that would be really scary... and not in a good way!)
Though a bit soggy, the dirt pudding cups are still safe to eat for up to 7 days, properly refrigerated. You can top them with fresh cookie crumbs to add some crunch back into your bite if you don't want to waste any.
📖 Variations
The best part about this Halloween dirt pudding recipe is that it's scary-easy to customize! Here are some ideas:
- You can use vanilla pudding or any flavor of instant pudding mix you like. Just add a bit of brown food coloring to make it resemble dirt!
- For fun recipes, I like to keep things easy, but you can make homemade pudding, if you prefer.
- Use smaller cups to make individual portions, or layer everything in a casserole dish or large bowl to make a whole spooky graveyard.
- Some people like to spoon a layer of ganache on the bottom of each cup for extra decadence. Melt chocolate chips (about 8 oz) in a double boiler, then slowly whisk in about 4 oz of heavy cream.
- Speaking of graveyards, turn some of the Nutter Butter ghosts into tombstone cookies to create scary graveyard pudding cups. (To do so, tint the white chocolate gray. Use black piping gel to "engrave" them.)
- Place some green frosting in a piping bag to add some patches of "grass" on top of the dirt cups.
- You can top your Halloween graveyard dirt cups with pretty much any festive, fun treats. We like gummy worms, Halloween sprinkles, and pumpkin candy, but feel free to get creative.
- Mix some skull and bone skeleton candy into the crushed Oreos to add a spooky surprise to the Halloween dirt cups. Bonus points when you can see the "bones" in the layers through the sides of the cup!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: If you don't have a food processor, place the cookies in a ziptop bag and smash them with a rolling pin. This is so much fun for kids!
- You can use an electric mixer to combine the pudding, but it's pretty easy to do so with a wire whisk, too.
- Make the Nutter Butter ghosts using this method.
- If you have a peanut allergy in the family, Milano cookies are a great option for ghosts and tombstones.
- You can usually find clear plastic cups or dessert cups in the food storage section of the grocery store. Look near other disposable flatware.
- Cut the gummy worms in halves or thirds. Make a small hole in the top layer of the crushed cookies with a straw. Then, place the worm, cut side down, into the hole for a more realistic Halloween dessert.
👩🍳 FAQs
I like to use whole milk, but reduced fat is fine, too. Double-check the back of your specific pudding mix, as different brands might require different types of milk.
No, I don't recommend it. Cool Whip or a homemade stabilized whipped cream adds the best texture and flavor to your spooky dirt cups.
📚 Related recipes
- Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding comes together in only minutes and tastes just like mom used to make for dessert on chilly winter nights!
- You can also make this homemade chocolate pudding instead of using instant.
- The perfect treat during spooky season and a viral social media trend, Nutter Butter ghosts are an addictively snackable, fun family idea!
- Halloween Rice Krispy Treats are easy to create and great party favors—make them cute-spooky or scary-spooky depending on the crowd!
More spooky recipes for Halloween!
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
You can make these fun Halloween dirt cups for any holiday by changing out the cookies, candy, and decorations. They're perfect for kids' parties!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Spooky Dirt Cups
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
- 6.6 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups milk
- 16 ounces Cool Whip
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 6 gummy worms, or more
Optional
- candy pumpkins
- 6 Nutter Butter Ghosts
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Pour cold milk into a large bowl.
- Add pudding mix and whisk until very thick.
- Place pudding in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so.
- Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender until they are crumbs.
- Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and gently fold in half the Cool Whip.
- Fold in the remaining whipped topping.
- Add a layer of Oreo crumbs to the bottom of each cup.
- Top with the pudding mixture.
- Add another layer of Oreo crumbs to the top.
- Add the gummy worms, ghosts, and other candies as desired.
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, place the cookies in a ziptop bag and smash them with a rolling pin. This is so much fun for kids!
- You can use an electric mixer to combine the pudding, but it's pretty easy to do so with a wire whisk, too.
- Make the Nutter Butter ghosts using this method.
- If you have a peanut allergy in the family, Milano cookies are a great option for ghosts and tombstones.
- You can usually find clear plastic cups or dessert cups in the food storage section of the grocery store. Look near other disposable flatware.
- Cut the gummy worms in halves or thirds. Make a small hole in the top layer of the crushed cookies with a straw. Then, place the worm, cut side down, into the hole for a more realistic Halloween dessert.
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