Need a festive Halloween treat that is fast and easy? Try these Halloween Dirt Cups! They’re made with 2 simple ingredients, but look so fun!
When it comes to celebrating holidays, I love creating themed treats! But I don’t always have time to make something super involved. Instead, I turn to festive and easy desserts like these Halloween Dirt Cups! They only require two ingredients and are ready in less than 10 minutes. Plus, you can make them ahead of time for parties!
What Makes These Halloween Dirt Cups So Fun?
- Only 2 Main Ingredients – While adding toppings is part of the fun when making dirt cups, they only require two ingredients! Those ingredients are creamy chocolate pudding and Oreos! If you have those, you can make these easy dessert cups!
- Takes Less Than 10 Minutes to Make – Since this Halloween snack only requires two ingredients, it doesn’t take long to prepare! They could take longer if you add many details, but basic pudding dirt cups don’t take much time.
- Easy to Customize – Add any toppings you want! Gummy worms are a classic addition to dirt cups. But candy pumpkins are great for Halloween. Or candies shaped like bones.
Ingredients for Halloween Dirt Cups
- Chocolate Pudding – The base for this dessert recipe is chocolate pudding. Make your own using an instant pudding mix or your favorite homemade pudding recipe. Or buy pudding cups that are ready to go! Whatever makes things easiest for you!
- Oreos – Remove the cream filling from the Oreo cookies. Then pulse them in the food processor to create crumbs. Or take out all of your frustrations on a ziptop bag full of cookies. Either way works! 😉
- Gummy Worms – These are a staple addition to dirt cups. Use regular gummy worms or sour gummy worms!
How to Make Halloween Dirt Cups
These spooky dirt cups are the perfect fun treats for Halloween! Make them as an after-school snack or for Halloween parties.
Step 1 – First, prepare the chocolate pudding. I typically use a box of instant pudding mix that yields 2 cups of pudding. Two cups of pudding will make 4 dirt cups. So adjust according to the number of cups you want to make.
Step 2 – Next, remove the cream filling of the Oreo cookies. Crush the cookies into crumbs. Use a food processor and pulse the cookies a few times. Or put the cookies into a large food storage bag. Then crush them with a rolling pin or your hands.
Step 3 – Now it’s time to layer the cups! Start with the Oreo crumbs. Pour a thin layer into clear plastic cups or small mason jars. The cookie crumbs should cover the bottom of each cup.
Step 4 – Then, add a layer of chocolate pudding. The pudding layer should cover all of the cookies. Make it about an inch or two inches thick. Which is about a quarter cup to a half cup of pudding.
Step 5 – Add another dirt layer of cookie crumbs and another layer of pudding.
Step 6 – Top the dirt cups with a final layer of crushed Oreos. Then decorate! Add gummy worms, pumpkin candies, or other fun food accessories to make festive Halloween dirt cups!
Get Creative!
The best part of these Dirt Cup desserts, other than how delicious they are, is how much fun they are to decorate! Here are a few fun ideas for decorating them with Halloween candies!
- Gummy Worms – Lay a few gummy worms over the top of the dirt cups. You could also add a few to the layers as you prepare them. Then it will look like worms digging in the earth!
- Cookie Tombstones – Create Halloween graveyard dirt cups with Milano cookies and decorative icing. Use the decorative icing to write “RIP” or “BOO” on the cookies. Then stick them into the dirt cups. Now they look like little tombstone cookies in a graveyard.
- Candy Pumpkins – Another fun idea is pumpkin patch dirt cups! Use green frosting in a pastry bag with a fine tip to draw “vines” along the top of the “dirt.” Then place a few pumpkin-shaped candies along the vines. It looks like a pumpkin patch!
- Bone-Shaped Candies – Skatter a few candy bones over the top of the dirt cup. Use a cookie tombstone too for spooky graveyard pudding cups!
- Marshmallow Ghosts and Monsters – Top your Halloween dirt cups with Halloween Peeps! These marshmallow treats are shaped like ghosts and monsters. They are perfect for these spooky treats!
FAQ’s
Yes, you can make sugar-free dirt cups! Use a sugar-free pudding, and sugar-free chocolate sandwich cookies instead. And don’t forget to add a few sugar-free gummy worms too!
According to celiac.com, Jell-O brand chocolate pudding is gluten-free and gluten-safe. Oreo also makes gluten-free Oreos. Both of these are great options for gluten-free dirt cups. Albanese and Lily’s brands make gluten-free gummy worms. And Black Forest also has gluten-free gummy worms.
Absolutely! Part of what makes these dirt cups so great is that they can be prepared in advance! Create the layers of “dirt” with the cookies and pudding. Then add the toppings. Cover the cups with Saran wrap and store them in the refrigerator.
Some toppings, like the Milano cookie tombstones, won’t store well in the refrigerator for more than a few hours. So if you are preparing these cups a few days in advance, don’t add the toppings until a few hours before serving.
Store dirt cups in the refrigerator. Wrap the tops in Saran wrap before storing them.
These Halloween Dirt Cups are good for about 3 days in the refrigerator. Any longer than that and it becomes too watery and soggy.
Some toppings may last for less time in the refrigerator, so keep that in mind for storing them.
These fun Halloween Dirt Cups are the perfect treats for spooky season! They are made with layers of pudding and Oreo cookie crumbs. Make them for the dessert table at your next Halloween party!
More Halloween Snack Ideas
Halloween Dirt Cups
Equipment
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups chocolate pudding
- 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs about 18 cookies
- gummy worms or other candy
Instructions
- Prepare the chocolate pudding.
- Remove the cream filling of the Oreo cookies and crush the cookies into crumbs. Use a food processor and pulse the cookies a few times. Or put the cookies into a large ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or your hands.
- Pour a thin layer of cookie crumbs into each cup. The cookie crumbs should cover the bottom of the cup.
- Add a layer of 1/4 cup chocolate pudding. The pudding layer should cover all of the cookies.
- Add another dirt layer of cookie crumbs.
- Add another layer of 1/4 cup pudding.
- Top the dirt cups with a final layer of crushed Oreos.
- Decorate with gummy worms, pumpkin candies, or other fun food accessories to make festive Halloween dirt cups!
Notes
- Gummy Worms – Lay a few gummy worms over the top of the dirt cups. You could also add a few to the layers as you prepare them. Then it will look like worms digging in the earth!
- Cookie Tombstones – Create Halloween graveyard dirt cups with Milano cookies and decorative icing. Use the decorative icing to write “RIP” or “BOO” on the cookies. Then stick them into the dirt cups. Now they look like little tombstone cookies in a graveyard.
- Candy Pumpkins – Another fun idea is pumpkin patch dirt cups! Use green frosting in a pastry bag with a fine tip to draw “vines” along the top of the “dirt.” Then place a few pumpkin-shaped candies along the vines. It looks like a pumpkin patch!
- Bone-Shaped Candies – Skatter a few candy bones over the top of the dirt cup. Use a cookie tombstone too for spooky graveyard pudding cups!
- Marshmallow Ghosts and Monsters – Top your Halloween dirt cups with Halloween Peeps! These marshmallow treats are shaped like ghosts and monsters. They are perfect for these spooky treats!
