Halloween dirt cups, or dirt cups in general have always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I loved the soft pudding mousse layers with the fun crunch from cookies and then all the fun gummy worms nestled on top.
As an adult and a parent, it’s even better that now I can make these for my own kids all the time and not just for special occasions or holidays.
These ate so easy to throw together and the only time it really takes is the 1hr to 2hr in the fridge to set up. This can be quickly shipped up while the kids have breakfast sonics ready for morning snack time, or during nap time so it’s ready for when they wake up.
Make sure you get the instant pudding carton. I got the regular one once without double checking, yeah, that was not a fun afternoon for everyone.
This recipe uses chocolate instant pudding, but if you’d like to mix it up and make monster cups, you can use vanilla instant pudding, then after separating it into cups you use food coloring to change itnto green for Frankenstein, white for a ghost, purple for a witch, black for a bat. Whatever you like.
Halloween Dirt Cups
Prep time-30min
Chilling time-1-2hrs
Total time-1hr 30min
servings 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 1 bag (14oz/305g) Oreos
- 1 pkg (3.4oz) instant chocolate pudding
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip (see notes for homemade option)
- 4 Milano Cookies(optional)
- Gummy Worms(optional)
- marshmallow ghost (optional)
- candy corn pumpkins and corn(optional)
- Halloween themed candy(optional)
- Black writing gel icing
- Edible candy eyes
*make sure your pudding box says instant, I’ve made the mistake of not double checking before. Man was that an annoying day.
Directions
Using a food processor, grind 12 Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Then crush the remaining cookies into smaller pieces using a large Ziploc bag and a heavy object to smash the cookies. Set them aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk and whisk until the powder has dissolved. Refrigerate until the pudding has set, about 10 minutes or so.
Once the pudding has set, fold in the whipped cream until is mostly mixed, then add in the crushed cookies (not the fine crumbs) and fold into the mousse.
Assemble next or set the mousse in the refrigerator to chill. The mousse should be chilled for 1-2 hours for best results. This can be done before or after assembly.
To make the tombstones, cut each Milano cookie in half with a sharp knife. Then use the black writing icing to spell “RIP”.
To assemble, place 1 tablespoon of Oreo crumbs in the bottom of the cup, then add one or two heaping scoops of Oreo mousse, and smooth with a spoon.
Add another tablespoon of Oreo crumbs, followed by more mousse, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs on top.
To decorate, place a cookie in the middle with gummy worms, and eyeballs. You can even add Ina. Marshmallow ghost or other marshmallow figure.
Notes
Instant pudding generally calls for 2 cups of milk. I reduced it to 1 ½ cups to make the mousse a little thicker.
Homemade Whipped Cream: You’ll need 1 cup heavy whipping cream and ½ cup powdered sugar. Chill the bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until the cream starts to thicken. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix into the set pudding in place of the Cool Whip. See my post on how to make whipped cream for more details.
Storing: The mousse should be chilled for 1-2 hours for best results. This can be done before or after assembly. If you have leftover dirt cups or leftover mousse, keep everything covered airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Serving size: This recipe makes enough to fill six 8-ounce tumblers right to the top. This is a perfect portion for an adult. If you’re making these dirt cups for kids, consider stretching the recipe over more tumblers by filling them halfway, or use smaller glasses. Another option is to adapt this recipe for an 8×8 or 9×9-inch square pan. I suggest simply layering the mousse and adding the cookie crumbs over top (as opposed to multiple layers). After chilling in the fridge, garnish as desired.
