"Worms in Dirt" may not sound appetizing, but the taste of this easy dessert will make you a believer! These chocolate pudding cups are decorated with crushed cookies and gummy worms, to make a creepy-crawly treat that kids will love to help make and eat.
This recipe doesn't require any cooking and comes together in about 15 minutes, so it's the perfect activity to do with young helpers on a warm summer's day. Grab your worms and let's go...
Worms in Dirt Pudding Cups Recipe
yield: 8 cups
- 1 15-ounce package chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)
- 1 3.9-ounce package chocolate instant pudding
- 2 cups cold milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
- 24 gummy worms
The first order of business when making "worms in dirt" is, of course, to make the dirt. Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in a large zip-top plastic bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces. Don't worry about removing the cream filling before putting the cookies in the bag--at first they will clump together, but as you continue to crush them, the cream will blend with the cookies and you won't even notice it.
Continue to crush the cookies in the bag until they are in fine crumbs. A few larger pieces are okay, too--after all, dirt comes in different sizes!
Next, make the pudding. Pour the dry pudding mix into a large bowl, then add the cold milk. Whisk everything together until all of the dry pudding dissolves and it's smooth and free of lumps.
Let the pudding sit for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and is no longer liquid. If it has the delightfully gloppy texture of pudding, you're ready to go on.
Add the whipped topping and approximately half of the cookie crumbs. You don't have to measure, just eyeball half the bag and pour it in.
Gently stir everything together until the streaks of whipped topping disappear, and the cookies are well-mixed into the pudding.
Divide the pudding mixture evenly between eight cups--each should hold a little over 1/2-cup of pudding. You can fill them however you'd like--I prefer to use a large ice cream scoop because I think it's a little neater and faster that way.
Tap the cups on the countertop a few times to level the pudding, then insert 3 gummy worms into the pudding and press them down a little so that they're embedded.
Pour the cookie crumbs over the pudding and gummy worms so that the entire top is covered with "dirt." Smooth it into an even layer with your hands.
Your Worms in Dirt are done! This is such an easy and fun recipe to make with kids during the summer! If you want to make them even more special, you can hide the cups in small terra cotta flower pots, or make one large batch in a big flower pot. Enjoy!
All text and images (c) Elizabeth LaBau