Dirt and Worms Recipe: Easy Halloween Dirt Cups
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This dirt and worms recipe is the old-school chocolate pudding dessert with crushed sandwich cookies and gummy worms. The dark cookie crumbs look like soil, the chocolate filling looks like mud and then you have the worms on top, making it suitably gross for Halloween!
It’s also an easy Halloween dessert to make with kids because nothing needs cooking or heating. They can crush the cookies, whisk the pudding, help fill the cups and add the gummy worms. This dirt cup recipe makes ten individual desserts, so there’s no slicing or serving once they’re ready.
Dirt and Worms at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Chill time: 1 hour
- Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings: 10 dirt cups
- Cuisine: American
- Main ingredients: Chocolate pudding, milk, whipped topping, chocolate sandwich cookies and gummy worms
- Preparation method: No-bake
- Storage: Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days
Why You’ll Love This Dirt Cup Recipe
- Short prep time: I made these in about 15 minutes. The rest of the time is spent chilling in the refrigerator.
- No oven or stovetop: Everything is mixed and assembled cold.
- Individual servings: The recipe makes 10 cups that are ready to hand out at a party.
- Easy for kids to help: Crushing cookies, whisking pudding and adding gummy worms are all simple jobs for little ones to have fun with,
- No elaborate decorating: Cookie crumbs and gummy worms create the whole dirt-and-worms theme. I like being able to make something this cute without messing around with piping bags, frosting and so on.
What are Dirt and Worms Cups?
Dirt and worms is a chilled pudding dessert made to look like a cup of soil with worms crawling through it. Chocolate pudding forms the mud, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies make the dirt and gummy worms slither along on top!
You’ll also see similar desserts called dirt cups, dirt pudding cups, mud pudding cups and Oreo dirt pudding. They’re always popular around Halloween, although there’s nothing stopping you from making them for a birthday party or any time kids would get a kick out of eating pretend dirt.
Mud Cups Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate instant pudding mix: Use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve pudding. A standard 3.9-ounce (110g) box of Jell-O chocolate instant pudding calls for 2 cups of cold milk. Check the package if you use a different brand, as I find they can vary.
- Cold milk: Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to mix the pudding. The pudding needs cold milk to set.
- Frozen whipped topping: Original Cool Whip works well and comes in the 8-ounce amount needed here. Thaw it in the refrigerator before using it.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Oreos or another creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookie are fine. Crush the whole cookies with the filling still inside.
- Gummy worms: Use regular or sour worms, or mix in a few gummy frogs if you find them. Skull candies are another option. They’re not going to be to scale, of course, but you’ll find little kids really don’t care!
How to Assemble Worm and Dirt Cups
Whisk the pudding mix with cold milk first and give it a few minutes to thicken. Fold in the whipped topping and some of the cookie crumbs, then add a layer of crumbs to the bottom of each cup. Spoon in the chocolate mixture, cover it with more cookie crumbs and chill the cups for an hour. Add the gummy worms before serving.
How Fine Should the Cookie Crumbs Be?
Fine crumbs give the top of the cups the most soil-like appearance. Put the sandwich cookies in a gallon freezer bag, press out most of the air and bash them with a rolling pin. A few small cookie chunks in the mix are fine, so there’s no need to pulverize everything to powder.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chocolate whipped topping: If you happen to find it, use the same amount as the regular whipped topping.
- Gummy frogs: Add them with the gummy worms or use them on their own. You might find miscellaneous Halloween gummies or candies. You can get creative and use whatever you find.
- Graveyard dirt cups: Push a rectangular cookie into the crumb topping and decorate it as a tombstone with writing icing. I love this fun version!
- Extra cookie layer: Divide the chocolate filling into 2 layers and add more crumbs between them. This works especially well in taller clear glasses.
- Different pudding flavor: Another instant pudding flavor will work if you follow the milk quantity on its package, although I find chocolate gives these the classic mud appearance.
Handy Kitchen Equipment
- Stainless steel mixing bowl set: Use the largest bowl for mixing the pudding and whipped topping.
- Balloon whisk: For mixing the pudding with the cold milk.
- Silicone spatula: To fold in the whipped topping and cookie crumbs.
- 2-cup angled measuring cup: For measuring out the milk.
- Measuring cups and spoons set: For measuring the cookie crumbs.
- Classic wooden rolling pin: To crush the sandwich cookies.
- Ziploc gallon freezer bags: Keep the cookies contained while you crush them.
- 8-ounce clear plastic cups with lids: The clear sides show off the pudding and cookie layers.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Cover the cups and keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days. I find the cookie crumbs have the best texture during the first day or two but they’re still edible on day three.
- Make ahead: Assemble the pudding and cookie layers up to a day ahead. Add the gummy worms shortly before serving.
- Reheat: These are served chilled and don’t need reheating.
- Freeze: I wouldn’t freeze them. The pudding can become watery after thawing and the cookie crumbs lose their texture and turn to mush.
- At a party: Keep the cups refrigerated until you need them and don’t leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours because of the dairy element.
Dirt and Worms Recipe FAQs
8-ounce (240ml) clear cups work well for dirt cup desserts. They leave enough room for the pudding, cookie crumbs and gummy worms without filling them right to the rim.
I don’t see why not. Use about 2 cups (475ml) of cold, fully set homemade chocolate pudding and omit the instant pudding mix and milk. Fold in the whipped topping and cookie crumbs as directed.
No, I didn’t do this before making the dirt and worms recipe. I crushed the chocolate sandwich cookies with the creme filling inside. It mixes into the crumbs and there’s no need to scrape it out first.
Yes. Layer the cookie crumbs and pudding mixture in a clear serving bowl instead of individual cups. Finish with cookie crumbs and gummy worms, then scoop it into bowls when you’re ready to serve or present it as a table centerpiece, so people can serve themselves.
Yes. Follow the milk directions on the pudding package because brands and varieties can differ. Chocolate looks most like mud, although the cookie crumbs and gummy worms will work with other flavors too.
Halloween Dirt and Worms Pudding Cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups (475ml) cold milk
- 1 package (3.9 ounces/110g) chocolate instant pudding mix
- 1 tub (8 ounces/225g) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 12 ounces (340g) chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed
- 3 ½ ounces (100g) gummy worms or gummy frogs
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Flexible silicone spatula
- 2-cup liquid measuring cup
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rolling Pin
- 1-gallon freezer bag
- 10 clear 8-ounce dessert cups
Method
- Put the chocolate sandwich cookies in a large freezer bag, press out most of the air and seal it. Crush the cookies with a rolling pin until mostly fine.
- Pour the cold milk into a large mixing bowl. Add the chocolate instant pudding mix and whisk for 2 minutes.
- Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Fold in the thawed whipped topping and ½ cup of the cookie crumbs until evenly mixed.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cookie crumbs into the bottom of each of 10 clear 8-ounce cups.
- Divide the pudding mixture evenly between the cups, leaving room for the cookie topping.
- Divide the remaining cookie crumbs between the cups, covering the pudding.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Add the gummy worms or gummy frogs just before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve pudding.
- A 3.9-ounce Jell-O chocolate instant pudding mix calls for 2 cups of cold milk. If you use another brand or package size, check the package directions before measuring the milk.
- Thaw frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator before using it.
- Crush the sandwich cookies with their creme filling inside.
- For taller glasses with more visible layers, divide the pudding mixture into 2 layers and add some of the cookie crumbs between them.
- Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Don’t freeze the finished dirt cups because the pudding and cookie texture suffers after thawing.
A Simple Halloween Dessert
This dirt and worms recipe doesn’t need much decorating to look the part at Halloween. The cookie crumbs and chocolate filling already give you the mud-and-soil effect, then the gummy worms finish them off in that fun Halloween tradition! Keep the cups chilled until you need them and they’re ready to hand out individually. These might look creepy but they taste fantastic – dirt was never so delicious!
More Halloween and Chocolate Desserts
My Halloween candy corn brûlée pots are another dessert made specifically for Halloween. If chocolate is the priority, try my chocolate walnut cake. My pumpkin empanadas are a nice fall-themed dessert idea.
