Dirt pudding recipe, small batch style! A small Halloween recipe for celebrating with kids! This recipe for dirt and worms cups makes just 2 servings using chocolate pudding made in the microwave.
Everyone will love this Dirt and Worms Recipe
Whether or not you’re Trick-or-Treating this year, these dirt and worms pudding cups are such a fun treat to make with kids to celebrate. The chocolate pudding is made in the microwave, and the kids can totally help make it and assemble the cups! The small batch pudding serving is perfect, because only the kids in the house really eat this, right? As moms, we’re definitely not supposed to shove extra gummy worms and eat it after kid bedtime, right? Asking for a friend, of course.
We made this recipe during our quarantine months, when buying fun candy in each grocery delivery order was the highlight of our week. I’m a known candy connoisseur, and now that Camille is at the age where I trust her to still eat her vegetables even if she eats candy, she is joining me in the pursuit of candy reviews.
Chocolate Dirt Pudding Recipe Ingredients
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. Since this is a small batch of dirt pudding, we just need 6 sandwich cookies (also called Oreos, if you’re not following me).
- Sugar. Just one-quarter cup of white granulated sugar. Do not substitute this part for anything else.
- Cocoa Powder. Three tablespoons of all natural unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch process is fine, but anything you have works!
- Cornstarch. One and a half tablespoons of cornstarch for thickening the pudding.
- Milk. One cup of milk; whole milk is best but 2% is fine. I wouldn’t make this with skim milk. Also, please don’t use any alternative type of milk, as it will not thicken into pudding properly.
- Vanilla. One-half teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Butter. One tablespoon of butter stirred in at the end stops the cooking process and makes the final pudding richer.
- Gummy Worms. I’m calling for 4 gummy worms (2 per cup) to make this recipe, but gummy worm density in dirt pudding is a deeply personal choice I implore you to make on your own.
How to make Dirt Pudding
To make our dirt pudding recipe, we’re going to make a small batch of chocolate pudding in the microwave first! Making pudding the microwave sounds risky, but I make microwave lemon curd all the time. The only thing we have to do when making pudding in this very non-traditional way is to be sure to strain it before chilling!
Also, my fellow egg-free bakers, this pudding recipe doesn’t have eggs! Instead, it relies on cornstarch for thickening.
- First, crush 6 Oreos either in a food processor or a plastic bag. If your kids like pressing your buttons, they will enjoy pressing the food processor buttons. If your kids have a penchant for breaking things, let them crush the Oreos in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or small mallet.
- Next, let’s make the microwave chocolate pudding! In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Mix very well to dissolve any clumps.
- Now, slowly pour in the milk while whisking. You want to add the milk a little at a time and whisk constantly to avoid lumps.
- Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes on HIGH. Stop, whisk, and cook for another 1 minute. Stop again, whisk, and cook for another minute. At this point, the mixture should be thick and shiny.
- Remove the mixture from the microwave, and strain it into a small bowl. Use a spatula to push the pudding through, and be sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve before finishing. Then, stir in the vanilla and butter until it melts. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or until cold.
- Finally, make the two dirt pudding cups by layering Oreos, pudding and worms. Serve immediately, or chill until needed. These will keep for up to 24 hours; beyond that, the sugar in the worms starts breaking down and getting slightly slimy.
How to make the microwave chocolate pudding on the stove:
If you don’t have a microwave, or prefer to cook without one, here are the instructions for making the chocolate pudding without the microwave.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Whisk very well to break up any lumps.
- Next, slowly stream the milk in while constantly whisking. Cornstarch has to be fully dissolved in cold liquid in order to prevent lumps.
- Now, place the saucepan over medium heat, and whisk constantly until the pudding mixture until it starts to thicken, about 8 minutes. If you dip a wooden spoon in the mixture, and draw your finger through it on the spoon, it should hold the line your finger created to indicate the pudding has properly thickened. If it falls off the spoon, it’s not thick enough.
- Remove the pudding from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and butter until it melts. Proceed with the recipe.
Easy Dirt Pudding variations
- Double the Recipe – Yes, this recipe only makes 2 small cups, and ye you may double it exactly to make more. You may even triple the recipe, but to be honest, I wouldn’t go any further than that so that it doesn’t overflow in the microwave when cooking!
- Vegan – This recipe is not vegan, and you may not make any substitutions to the milk to make it that way, I’m sorry! If you want to make this vegan, it’s best to use a vegan ready-made mix, use vegan butter in place of the butter and seek out vegan gummy worms made with pectin instead of gelatin.
Yield: 2
Dirt Pudding Recipe
Dirt pudding recipe for two. Perfect for kids!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
4 minutes
Additional Time
4 hours
Total Time
4 hours 19 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 chocolate sandwich cookies
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 gummy worms, to serve
Instructions
- First, crush the chocolate sandwich cookies in a plastic bag, or use a food processor. Set the crumbs aside.
- Next, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Mix very well to break up any clumps.
- Slowly stream in the milk to the cornstarch mixture while whisking constantly. Adding the milk slowly will minimize clumping.
- Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes. Stop, stir, and then microwave again for 1 minute. Repeat for another 1 minute cycle, or until the pudding is thick and shiny.
- Strain the pudding mixture by pushing it through a sieve into a small bowl for storage. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get it all out. Finally, stir in the vanilla extract and butter until it melts.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Chill the pudding for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- To serve, layer one quarter of the crushed cookies in the bottom of a small serving jar. Top with one quarter of the chocolate pudding. Repeat with another quarter of the cookies and pudding. Push a few gummy worms in. Repeat with another jar to make 2 jars total.
Notes
This recipe makes just 2 servings, but you can double or triple it to serve more kids. I recommend only doubling the pudding recipe, or else it’s too much for the microwave.
I will say that my almost 6-year old could only eat half a jar at a time. This could be divided up into 4 smaller servings for younger kids.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 589Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 327mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 4gSugar: 51gProtein: 11g
