A real treat for both adults and kids alike, these Dirt Pudding Cups use homemade extra dark chocolate pudding, tangy whipped cream, and classic crushed chocolate cookies layered together to make for a cute and delicious dessert. These fun sweets can be garnished with something fun like gummy worms, or decorated with whipped cream!
My mom didn't often make dessert in our home when I was growing up, but I do remember her making dirt pudding around Halloween time. I loved it then, and I love dirt pudding now as a 30-something adult!
Now that my kids are getting older, they are starting to understand the magic of having a mom who is a recipe developer and they have now begun "suggesting" certain recipes that might be good to put on this website. This Dirt Pudding recipe is one such suggestion that my son dreamed up a few weeks ago. I don't know where he had seen it, as I had never made it for them, but he knew just what it was, and was so persuasive about how it would be "so good for your website!" that I couldn't say no.
Since then, my kids have happily given their opinions on all of my dirt pudding tests, and Lilia has even requested I make a big batch to help her celebrate her 10th birthday this weekend.
The version I came up with is one both kids and adults alike will enjoy. The cups are layered with black cocoa pudding (more on this below!), crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, and tangy whipped cream. I offer a guide on how to assemble them, but really, once you have all the materials you need, you can assemble them however you want! Add gummy worms, or any other garnish to create a fun effect.
So let's get to making it! You can jump around the article using the menu below, or you can just head right to the bottom for the complete recipe.
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Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreo's or Newman O's)
- black cocoa powder (see note below)
- semi-sweet chocolate (see note below)
- cornstarch
- butter
- sugar
- egg yolks
- whole milk
Let's Talk Black Cocoa
Black cocoa is a type of cocoa powder that has been heavily "dutched", which is a process that alkalizes it to neutralize its natural acidity. This resulting cocoa is very dark in color, almost black, and has a more intense and almost smoky bitter flavor. It is used in cookies, like Oreos, to get a deep, rich chocolate flavor and color. And that is exactly why the recipe calls for it.
While I do have a different chocolate pudding recipe on my other website that could be used in this dirt cup, I developed this black cocoa pudding specifically for this recipe so it did have an intense, deep, dark chocolatey taste. Let's just say, this dirt cup is like the grown-up version of the one I had as a kid, which, in all likelihood, was made from a box of pudding mix and Cool Whip. And no shame in that, but I was hoping to achieve something a bit more nuanced and delicious while still being relatively easy to put together.
Best Chocolate for this Recipe
In an ideal world, when baking or cooking with chocolate, it is best to use a pure chocolate bar from a high-quality brand. A pure chocolate or baking bar is better because it doesn’t have a ton of additives that help it keep its shape like chocolate chips do.
However, it's not always a perfect world and sometimes we don't have whole bars of high-quality chocolate hanging around when we need them.
So, if you are looking to make the best chocolate pudding, use a whole chocolate bar that has been chopped up. If in a pinch, use high-quality chocolate chips. By high-quality, I mean I don't recommend making this with something like Nestle, or whatever store-brand is available. I recommend brands like Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Callebaut.
How to Make the Black Cocoa Pudding
The pudding is made in one pot and doesn’t require any tempering of the eggs. It's simple to make, but make sure to have your mise en place ready before you begin, and don't walk away from the pudding while it's cooking.
Step 1: Place the chocolate and butter in a metal bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients for the pudding, which helps evenly distribute the cocoa and cornstarch.
Step 3: Whisk in the egg yolks and milk then cook until thickened.
Step 4: Pour the pudding through a strainer and into the chocolate. Whisk until it's fully combined.
The pudding will immediately begin forming a skin, so be sure to place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper on top to avoid it.
Assembling the Dirt Cups
Use the quantity in the recipe for assembly as a suggestion. I used these 7-ounce cups dessert cups, which ended up being a large portion of pudding when filled up all the way. The recipe yields 6 cups based on this. But feel free to play around with the quantity of cookies and pudding when assembling to suit your needs, and make more cups with a smaller portion.
I also had two different types of "crushed" cookies for this recipe, to add some textural intrigue. On the bottom and middle layers, I used larger pieces of crushed cookies, and on the top, I used finely ground Oreos. This is not necessary, but I felt it added something to the dessert.
Step 1: Add a layer of crushed cookies.
Step 2: Spoon on some black cocoa pudding, then top with another layer of cookies.
Step 3: Add whipped cream to the remaining pudding to make a lighter, sweeter chocolate pudding. Again, this adds some nuance in flavor and a beautiful contrast in colors in the pudding cups.
Step 4: Fold in the whipped cream until no streaks of white remain, then spoon it over the cookie layer.
Step 4: Top off the lighter pudding with a final layer of cookie crumbs.
Step 4: Then add the fun garnishes. Optionally some gummy worms can be hidden in the dirt pudding.
Garnishing Suggestions
This is where the fun is! Choose how you want to garnish the dirt cups. Go with the classic: gummy worms! Or get more creative.
Add gummy worms or other candy.
Use the leftover whipped cream to pipe ghosts on top. Use melted chocolate in a piping bag to add eyes and a mouth.
This recipe has a built-in garnish of whipped cream for serving.
If you prefer to skip the garnish of whipped cream, the recipe has alternative instructions.
Storage
These pudding cups are best served the same day they are made. They begin to “deflate” and get soggy after 1 day. Still delicious, but not quite as good as on the first day.
More Sweets
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Dirt Pudding Cups
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: about 6 pudding cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Dirt Pudding Cups use homemade extra dark chocolate pudding, tangy whipped cream and classic crushed chocolate cookies layered together to make for a cute and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
For Black Cocoa Pudding:
4 ounces (115 grams or 1 scant cup) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, diced
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (21 grams) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (14 grams) black cocoa powder
Pinch salt
2 large egg yolks
3 cups (680 grams) whole milk
For Whipped Cream:
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
¾ cup (170 grams) heavy cream
For Assembling:
12 ounces (about 24) Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Gummy worms (or other gummy candy)
Instructions
Make the Pudding:
- To a medium metal bowl, add the chocolate and the butter. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl; set aside
- In a medium pot, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, black cocoa, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks and milk until fully combined.
- Turn on the heat to medium and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the pudding has thickened and large bubbles are forming and popping, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and immediately pour through the strainer into the bowl with the chocolate and butter, using a spatula to push all of the pudding through while leaving behind any bits of cooked egg.
- Let the pudding sit for 2 minutes while the chocolate melts, then whisk it together until fully combined. Place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
- Let the pudding cool at room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Make the Whipped Cream:
- Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and granulated sugar until mostly smooth. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream on low speed, then increase to medium and whip until the cream has reached soft stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more. Set aside.
Assemble the Cups:
- Remove the chilled pudding from the refrigerator, discard the plastic wrap, and give it a whisk to loosen it up.
- Using a food processor (or a rolling pin and a bag) crush the cookies (see note). Add 2 tablespoons of the cookie crumbs into each of 6 jars (see note about sizing), Using the back of a spoon (or something similar), press down on the crumbs to tightly pack them into the jars.
- Spoon (or scoop) a heaping ¼-cup of black cocoa pudding into each jar.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cookie crumbs on top of the black pudding in each jar.
- Add half of the whipped cream to the remaining black cocoa pudding. Use a rubber spatula to fold it in until no white streaks remain.
- Spoon (or scoop) a heaping ¼-cup of the whipped cream/pudding mixture into each jar.
- Sprinkle the tops of each jar with 2 tablespoons of cookie crumbs.
- Garnish as desired with gummy worms and/or remaining whipped cream.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Use whatever jars you have on hand. I used these 7-ounce cups dessert cups, which were a large portion of pudding when filled up all the way. Feel free to play around with the quantity of cookies and pudding when assembling to suit your needs.
If you cannot find black cocoa, use Dutch-process cocoa in its place.
For a nice textural contrast, crush half the chocolate sandwich cookies roughly, with larger chunks remaining, and the other half finely.
This recipe has a built-in garnish of whipped cream for serving. If you prefer to skip the garnish of whipped cream, reduce the amount of heavy cream to ⅓ cup, and reduce the amount of sugar to 1 tablespoon (but keep the amount of cream cheese the same). If you struggle to get the cream cheese and sugar to whip together, drizzle in about a tablespoon or so of the heavy cream to give it some volume to smooth out. Just make sure to scrape down the bowl so no bits of heavy cream are stuck to the bottom. Then, whisk this full amount of whipped cream into the pudding.
These pudding cups are best served the same day they are made. They begin to “deflate” and get soggy after 1 day. Still delicious, but not quite as good as on the first day.
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