Description
This Homemade Dirt Pudding Recipe is a fun and delicious dessert featuring creamy chocolate pudding layered with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms to create a playful ‘dirt and worms’ effect. Perfect for parties or a whimsical treat, it combines rich homemade pudding with crunchy cookie crumbs and chewy candy for a delightful texture contrast.
Ingredients
Scale
Pudding Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 and 1/2 cups (1,080ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Assembly Ingredients
- 24–30 Oreo cookies (or about 1 standard package)
- 24 gummy worms
Instructions
- Make the pudding: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually pour in the whole milk while whisking continuously to combine.
- Cook the pudding: Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. This should take about 10 minutes. Once bubbles appear around the edges and then in the center, whisk constantly and boil for 1 full minute until the pudding thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon without dripping.
- Finish the pudding: Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk in the softened butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the pudding into a heatproof bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Prevent skin formation: Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to stop a skin from forming. Refrigerate the pudding for 1 hour to chill and allow it to thicken slightly but remain pourable for assembly.
- Prepare the Oreo crumbs: Place the Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely crushed into crumbs.
- Assemble the dirt pudding cups: Use clear cups, a trifle bowl, or a 9-inch baking pan. Begin by layering 2 tablespoons of Oreo crumbs at the bottom, then spoon 1/4 cup of pudding over the crumbs. Repeat with another layer of Oreo crumbs, more pudding, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs on top. Embellish each top layer with a few gummy worms to resemble worms in the dirt.
- Chill before serving: Refrigerate the assembled pudding cups uncovered for at least 3 hours and up to 48 hours to allow flavors to meld and texture to set.
- Storage: Cover leftover cups and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for best freshness.
Notes
- Use whole milk for the creamiest pudding; low-fat or non-dairy milks will alter the texture.
- Make sure not to rush the boiling step to ensure proper thickening of the pudding.
- Pressing plastic wrap directly on the pudding’s surface prevents a skin from forming.
- You can adjust the number of gummy worms to your preference or omit for a less sweet version.
- Assemble the dessert in any clear container for a fun presentation.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute Oreo cookies with gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Homemade chocolate pudding, dirt pudding, Oreo dessert, gummy worm pudding, layered dessert, kid-friendly dessert
