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These fun Halloween Dirt Cups are an easy festive treat! This dirt dessert recipe with chocolate pudding is so cute and delicious. Learn how to make this dirt cup recipe with shortbread cookies and candy, and everyone will want a cup of dirt to enjoy! 

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monster and mummy decorated cookies on a white board

Easy Halloween Dirt Cups

This Halloween dirt cup recipe is so easy and so much fun to make for parties or just because. I mean, it’s pudding, cookies, and candy – three things I love in dessert recipes! The best part is that it’s an easy no bake dessert.

There is just something SO FREAKING CUTE about Halloween desserts and food, whether it’s eyeballs or spiderwebs or brooms or witches’. When that time of year rolls around, I’m always coming up with fun ideas, and now, with the invention of sugar eyeballs, the cute scary factor is ratcheted up about a million notches.

I used some to make these monster and mummy decorations for an added twist, and I love how they turned out. They look a little crazy and scary, like Halloween graveyard dirt cups but not at all creepy. Just cute! I love spooky-cute easy desserts.

If you’ve never had a dirt cup, consider this your introduction! This Halloween dirt cups dessert recipe is a simple recipe made with crushed cookies and pudding mixes. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

Some recipes are Oreo dirt pudding cups, but I use chocolate shortbread cookies for the dirt, and it works great!

Sometimes this simple dessert is made as a classic dirt cake or as a bucket of dirt dessert recipe. I like to make individual-sized pudding dirt cups, so everyone gets their own.

The cookie-topped pudding looks like dirt, and you can decorate the cups in all kinds of ways. For this recipe, we’re making dirt cup recipe Halloween-style! It’s a great recipe for a party because you can make it ahead.

For Halloween, I make mummy and monster decorations to stick in each one. They’re made with shortbread cookies, candy melts, and the adorable sugar eyes I love so much.

You can also turn them into pumpkin patch dirt cups and add a few candy pumpkins. 

monster decorated cookie in a dirt cup next to a candy corn pumpkin

Halloween dirt pudding cups (or Halloween mud cups as they’re sometimes called) are perfect if you want something fun but not hard to make. Making the cookies is easy – I use Walkers shortbread. They have cookies called “fingers” that are basically rectangular cookies perfect for turning into mummies and monsters.

The cookies all on their own are so cute and perfect for serving all on their own, but adding them to a dirt cup makes them the ideal dessert for a Halloween party. If you’re looking for fun desserts, Halloween dirt cups are an easy one to try. They’re always a family favorite!

What is Dirt Pudding Made of?

  • Shortbread cookies – these are what we’ll use to make the mummies and monsters
  • White candy melts or almond bark – for the mummies
  • Green candy melts – for the monsters (any color works)
  • Sugar eyeballs
  • Chocolate pudding mix – to make the dirt cups
  • Milk – It’s best to use cow’s milk when you make pudding with mix.
  • Crushed chocolate shortbread cookies – the easiest way to crush them is in a food processor. 
mummy and monster decorated cookies in dirt cups next to a candy corn pumpkin

How to make Halloween Dirt Cups

  • Monster and Mummy Decoration: Melt the candy melts (white for the mummies and green for the monsters). Place the shortbread fingers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pipe the melted candy over the cookies (a Ziploc bag or piping bag works great!) and place the candy eyeballs on them. Chill them until the candy coating is set.
  • Dirt cups: Mix the instant pudding mix and mix with a wire whisk in a large bowl. Spoon the pudding mixture into the bottom of your individual cups. Top the pudding with the crushed chocolate cookies for the dirt layer. Place one mummy or monster cookie in each cup.
  • Cake Tip: My favorite way to serve dirt pudding is in clear plastic cups, but you can also make a Halloween dirt cake. Spread the pudding in a baking dish, sprinkle a thick layer of the crushed cookies over the top, and decorate the top of the dessert with the spooky cookies.
  • Decorating Tip: Instead of making mummies and monsters, you can decorate the cookies to look like gravestones and make graveyard pudding cups! Or make a graveyard dirt cake in a large dish. You can also add your favorite Halloween candy toppings (like pumpkin candy) along with the cookies.
mummy decorated cookie in a dirt cup next to a candy corn pumpkin

Storing and Freezing 

Can you freeze dirt pudding? Yes, but freeze the dirt cups without the cookie and candy decorations. To freeze, use freezer-safe containers, and the dirt pudding will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.

Can you freeze the cookies? Yes, once you’ve decorated the shortbread cookies, you can store them in a freezer container and freeze them for up to three months. I like to separate the layers with wax paper so the cookies don’t stick together.

Refrigerator storage: This Halloween dirt cups recipe will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Cover the dirt cups with plastic wrap and, for best results, don’t add the cookie or candy decorations until you’re ready to serve them

Make this Halloween dirt pudding recipe, and you will get rave reviews from kids and adults alike! Everyone will want some Halloween dirt in a cup -they are the best easy dessert to celebrate Halloween. Enjoy!

Have You Made This Recipe?

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mummy decorated cookie in a dirt cup next to a candy corn pumpkin

Mummy and Monster Dirt Cups

5 from 7 votes
These easy Mummy and Monster Dirt Cups have just a few ingredients. Make monster and mummy cookies out of shortbread and candy!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield 6 servings, depending on size
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 8 Walkers Shortbread Fingers
  • 1 cup White candy melts or almond bark 4 mummies
  • 1 cup Green candy melts 4 monsters
  • 16 Sugar eyeballs
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 cups cold nonfat milk
  • 9 Crushed chocolate cookies (1 box Chocolate Walkers Scottie Dogs or similar)

Instructions

To make the monsters and mummies:

  • Lay cookies out on a parchment paper or wax paper lined cookie sheet.
  • Melt candy according to package directions, adding some shortening or oil to help aid in melting if needed. Place melted candy in a sandwich bag and cut off one tip. Pipe the candy over the cookies, making them look like monsters or mummies, as shown. Add eyeballs as desired. Chill to set.

To assemble the dirt cups:

  • Make pudding according to package directions. Place in serving cups. Top with crushed chocolate cookies. Add a monster or mummy cookie to each serving. (You can use glass dishes as I’ve shown, or use plastic cups for easy clean up.)
  • Store in refrigerator. Do not place the cookies in the pudding until you’re ready to serve them.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
mummy decorated cookie in a dirt cup next to a candy corn pumpkin with words on the photo

Last Updated on September 8, 2022

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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14 Comments

  1. These are too cute!  Having to deal with a tired kid all week wouldn’t make me excited for Halloween either!

  2. I’m the same way about Halloween ! I take one doenthe team , but it’s not my thing … neither are scary movies! 
    These cups are so adorable they may change my mind about Halloween! So creative!