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Pudding Dirt Cups Are An Excellent Dessert For A Garden Party

Text: Dirt Cups and a photo of yummy edible dirt cups in clear containers with shovel spoons

Why I Love Pudding Dirt Cups


Your guests will love these pudding dirt cups, and they are perfect for a garden party. Welcome to the next post in my garden party series. This week I’m covering how to make a dessert for your party.


When I was younger I remember having dirt cups at parties. Typically, they are made from chocolate pudding & cool whip along with Oreo cookies & gummy worms. I’ve changed the recipe slightly by including chocolate rocks & layers of cake. I didn’t think I could call these dirt cups if they didn’t look like dirt!


My Tips For Making Pudding Dirt Cups


As you think about dirt, think about what a shovel of dirt looks like while you are digging. In Colorado, we have a clay/sand/dirt mixture so my shovel has multiple colors!


After you know what color layers you are going for, you can determine what you can use for the layers. I highly recommend making the pudding per the package directions. This will ensure a darker chocolate color than using cool whip. For layers of sand, you can use vanilla cupcake tops and or cornbread. Chocolate rocks are a great addition to making these look as life like dirt! If you live somewhere where you have red clay, a strawberry cupcake top should do the trick.


I decided to not use any gummy worms, but I think breaking up chocolate-covered pretzels could be a great sub for gummy worms. When I think of gummy worms, I don’t think they would be great in these dirt cups.


Finally, for the top layer, you will use crushed Oreo cookies. Using a zip-top bag and a rolling pin is the easiest way I found to crush the cookies. Be sure to let all the air out of the bag before trying to crush the cookies.



Layering Your Dirt Cups


In addition to the above tips, when it comes time to layering, there is a specific way to layer. Use the cupcake and or cornbread as a “buffer” between the pudding layers. It’s recommended to put a layer of pudding, then sprinkle cornbread & some crushed Oreo cookies, then add the cupcake top. Layering this way you’ll have a firm cake layer instead of a soggy cake layer. While you are layering, tuck in some chocolate rocks as well. Repeat the layering process until your cup is full.


For added fun, I highly recommend using a clear cup and adding these cute shovel spoons to complete the dessert.


I made these dirt cups about an hour before my party, hoping they wouldn’t get too soggy. It was a few hours until we started eating these, and they were not soggy at all.


Additional Ideas For Pudding Dirt Cups


While researching for the party, I had so many ideas I just couldn’t execute all of them for this party. Here are a few additional things I think would be super cute for these dirt cups.


  • Edible flowers (fresh, dried, or fake)

  • Chocolate-covered pretzels, slightly broken to serve as “worms”

  • Grass – either this edible string grass or an edible image cake topper

  • Add liquor for an adult treat – either to the pudding or give an Oreo cookie a quick dunk in Baileys or Kahlua

  • Chocolate vegetables – carrots, beets, or any other root vegetable, make your own with this mold

  • Pirouette cookie could be played off as a shovel handle


How will you make these pudding dirt cups your own?

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