Halloween Dirt Cups

Published on September 18, 2019 Updated on May 8, 2021 by Eden

Halloween Dirt Cups are an easy, make-ahead dessert made with the most delicious homemade chocolate pudding and dark chocolate Oreo crumbs.

A glass of chocolate pudding with Oreo crumbs on top with a tombstone cookie and flowers.

First, can we all agree that dirt cups aren’t just for kids?! These dirt cups are for adults and they’re rich and creamy like a decadent dessert! I can’t stress enough how easy they are to make too.

How to Make Dirt Cups

Dirt Cup Ingredients

Chocolate Pudding
Oreos
Belvita Cookies
Chocolate Chips
Edible Flowers

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Make a batch of our delicious chocolate pudding. It’s actually my favorite chocolate pudding recipe that we use year-round. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight and assemble the dirt cups the next day.

We use heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla extract and bittersweet chocolate for this recipe.

Chop the bittersweet chocolate bar and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt.

Combine the milk and heavy cream in a measuring cup with a spout.

Over medium heat, slowly stream in the milk and cream while whisking until it starts to thicken. This part is important as the milk and cream can burn quickly, you have to watch and whisk the entire time until it’s thick.

Chocolate melted in a saucepan to make chocolate pudding.

Add the chocolate to the mixture and continue to stir.

Add in the vanilla extract and keep whisking. Once the mixture is thicker and coats the back of a spoon, the pudding is done.

Let it cool in the refrigerator.

How to Store Chocolate Pudding

Here’s a tip! Push saran wrap all the way down so it’s touching the pudding. You want the saran wrap to cover the actual top of the pudding and then put in the refrigerator.

Saran wrap covering chocolate pudding in a glass bowl

This will stop a film from forming while the pudding thickens and sits in the refrigerator. It will keep it creamy just like it’s supposed to be!

Crushed Oreo Cookies

Crush a package of dark chocolate Oreos. Have you ever had these? They are divine? Can someone explain why Oreos are SO good?!

To crush the Oreos, use a food processor, blender or just add a bunch to a ziplock bag and smack it with a spoon! I prefer that way… ha!

To create the cookie tombstones to go in the chocolate dirt cups, we used Belvita cookies. These were perfect because they’re also thin and crispy.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave and then add them to a piping bag.

Cut a very small hole at the end of the piping bag and then pipe RIP on the cookie.

Before adding the cookie to the Oreo crumble, break the bottom off so it fits nicely in the Oreo dirt cup.

Assembling Dirt Pudding Cups

Gold shovels, glasses and cookie tombstones with RIP written in chocolate.

Scoop pudding into a small glass. A 4-ounce or 6-ounce glass works great. The amount of pudding you add will vary depending on your glass size.
Leave room at the top for the Oreo cookie crumble.

Add a nice layer of crumbled Oreos over the top of the pudding.
Wiggle the tombstone into the pudding.

Crumbling crushed Oreos into chocolate pudding.

Add some small little flowers to the Oreo dirt.

Overhead of crushed cookies and a cookie tombstone for Halloween dirt cups.

Serve with a gold mini shovel spoon. We just adore these and they are perfect for a dirt cup dessert! You can buy them here!

The cutest Halloween Dirt Cups with crushed Oreos, flowers and a cookie tombstone.

Can I make dirt cups the night before?

We suggest making the pudding the night before, crushing the Oreos but keeping them in a tightly sealed container and then making the tombstone cookies the night before as well.

Assemble them the day of the party so that the cookies are as fresh as possible.

These dirt cups make a great Halloween dessert for an adult party. They’re charming with just enough “spookiness” to them. The gold shovel really adds to the presentation too.