Description
This Halloween Dirt Cake is a fun and festive no-bake dessert featuring creamy layers of chocolate pudding, cream cheese mixture, and crushed Oreo cookies to create a dirt-like appearance. Decorated with Nutter Butter tombstones and gummy worms, it’s perfect for a spooky celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package room temperature)
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping (thawed)
Pudding Layer
- 2 3.4 ounce boxes Instant Chocolate pudding
- 3 cups milk (to make the pudding)
Crust and Topping
- 1 15.5 ounce package Oreo Cookies (a regular size bag)
Tombstone Graveyard Decorations
- 8-10 Nutter Butter Cookies
- 6 ounces White Candy Melts
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (melted for writing RIP on cookies)
- 8-9 gummy worms (or other Halloween candy)
Instructions
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: Blend the softened cream cheese with a stand or hand mixer until smooth. Add the softened butter and mix until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and thawed whipped topping, mixing at slow speed until incorporated. Set aside.
- Make Pudding: Prepare the instant chocolate pudding with milk in a large bowl according to package directions. Fold in the cream cheese mixture gently with a spatula. Set aside.
- Crush Oreos: Add Oreo cookies, including the filling, to a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. You may need to do this in two batches.
- Create Crust: Firmly press about half of the crushed Oreo crumbs into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup to make an even crust layer.
- Add Pudding Layer: Spread the pudding and cream cheese mixture evenly over the Oreo crust.
- Add Topping Layer: Sprinkle the remaining crushed Oreos evenly on top of the pudding layer. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow it to set firmly.
- Make Tombstone Decorations: While the cake is chilling, melt white candy melts in the microwave. Dip each Nutter Butter cookie in the melted candy coating and place on parchment paper to dry.
- Write RIP on Tombstones: Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, pour into a small plastic bag, cut a tiny corner off, and pipe ‘RIP’ on each coated Nutter Butter cookie. Allow to dry completely.
- Assemble Decorations: Once the cake is set, press the decorated Nutter Butter tombstones into the top of the cake. Add gummy worms and additional Halloween candies as desired for finishing touches.
- Serve: Serve immediately or keep the cake refrigerated until ready to enjoy.
Notes
- Use instant pudding mix, NOT cook-and-serve, for this no-bake dessert.
- Soften cream cheese and whipped topping by leaving at room temperature for about 30 minutes to make mixing easier.
- If you don’t have a food processor to crush Oreos, put them in a large ziplock bag and crush with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin until crumbs form.
- Store leftover cake covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Nutritional information is approximate and may vary based on brand and methods used.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 270 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
