A classic dirt dessert with a boozy twist for a fun cocktail dirt cups recipe for adults. You’ll only need a few simple ingredients!
Have you ever had Oreo dirt pudding when you were little or a go-to dirt pudding recipe for your mom-life arsenal?
Dirt cups are made with yummy chocolate pudding, gummy worms in dirt made from Oreos, whipped cream, and chocolate cookie layers.
The purpose of the dessert is to create an illusion of neon gummy worms poking out of a garden!
Eating dessert cups as a kid was always so fun, ick factor from eating “dirt” with “worms” and all!
I, Ashley, wanted to serve a spooky but chic cocktail at a Halloween party and was inspired by these nostalgic tricky treats.
So I mixed up some layered dirt cups but in cocktail form!
This boozy dirt cup recipe is a twist on a childhood favorite but for adults.
However, you can easily leave out the liquor to make a traditional dirt pudding recipe for the kids.
Even if you have never had the opportunity to eat these creepy-crawly childhood desserts, you can now enjoy them as a grown-up version with these Dirt Cup Cocktails!
I would say they are better than the real thing, but the booze might make me biased.
Worms in Dirt Dessert Recipe Tips
You can easily elevate the classic dirty cup adornments by adding edible flowers and mint to make it look more like a pretty potted plant than the typical childhood version.
I also found spiking the gummy worms are a fun way to add more boos (ha!).
Be careful as I found out in college, gummy candy will suck up ALL the liquor it’s soaked in and get slimy and really boozy unless that’s what you want to go for!
When adding the cool whip cream, cover the entire circumference of the glass and then add the straw (I like to use black and white paper straws this time of year) before topping with the cookie crumbs.
This will keep the cookie from getting into the drink.
It’s fun to get the cookie, cocktail, and whipped cream all in one sip, but you don’t want soggy pieces chilling at the bottom of your glass.
Ingredients Needed to Make a Drunken Dessert Cup
Nothing says Halloween quite like worms in dirt, so we’ve got you covered!
You won’t need anything fancy to recreate this boozy dirt cup recipe unless you want to bust out the food processor for the crushed Oreos or trifle dish for serving.
There are tons of different dirt cake variations out there — some with instant pudding mix, french vanilla pudding, cool whip, whipped cream, and even a cream cheese mixture.
Ours, however, is a very paired-down version of this classic recipe.
For ours, we’re using the following ingredients —
— Crushed Oreos
— Whipped cream (or substitute for a non-dairy whipped topping)
— Vodka gummy worms
— Edible flowers
— Liquor
— Sprinkle of powdered sugar (optional)
How to Make a Boozy Dirt Cup Recipe
Step 1 – Add gummy worms to a container and add vodka to cover. Let soak for a few hours
Step 2 – Add the first 5 ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a glass.
Step 3 – Add whipped cream to the glass just below the rim, being sure to cover the cocktail.
Add straw and spoon crushed cookie on top of the whipped cream.
Add mint and edible flowers to the cookie layer and finally top with the vodka spiked gummy worms.
Step 4 – *To enjoy as a non-alcoholic beverage, make it into a milkshake by blending 1 cup milk with 4 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp cocoa powder in a blend.
Add 4 cups vanilla ice cream and blend.
Pour into 2 large glasses.
Step 5 – Top with whipped cream then the crushed cookie layer.
Add mint and flowers followed by regular gummy worms.
How to Make a Mocktail Version
If you want to offer a *non-alcoholic version for party guests or kids, you can easily make these into dirt cup milkshakes!
Or you can also use a pudding mixture if you’d like a more traditional dirt cake too.
I provided the recipe for the regular recipe below.
Halloween Party Ideas to Pair with a Dirt Dessert Recipe
Since we’re no stranger to an easy Halloween recipe, DIY, entertaining idea, or Halloween costumes, I thought I’d put together a list of my favorite pairing recommendations!
- Serve this at our easy DIY Halloween bar cart
- Add easy pumpkin decals to your dirt cup recipe glasses
- Be the host of the town as a power couple with 41 ideas for couples costumes
- Or throw on some Halloween wigs and whip up a few cocktails to call it day!
- Let your cocktails shine next to our DIY sequin pumpkins
- Pair your dirt dessert with our sophisticated Halloween table decor
If you are looking for a creepy cocktail (or mocktail) to make for your Halloween soiree, then these Dirt Cup Pudding Cocktails will be the hit of any monster mash.
Boozy Dirt Cup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 oz bourbon
- 3 fl oz Creme de Cacao
- 3 fl oz cream
- 6 tbsp crushed chocolate cookies
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 gummy worms or vodka soaked gummy worms
- 2 mint sprigs
- Edible flowers for garnish
- Whipped cream for garnish
- Chocolate bitters optional for garnish
Nutrition
Notes
- To enjoy as a non-alcoholic beverage:
- Make it into a milkshake by blending 1 cup of milk, 4 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in a blender.
- Then, add 4 cups of vanilla ice cream and blend.
- Pour into 2 large glasses.
Instructions
Optional for boozy gummy worms:
- Add gummy worms to a container with vodka and cover. Let soak for a few hours.
To make the cocktail:
- In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the bourbon, Creme de Cacao, cream, crushed chocolate cookies and cocoa powder.
- Shake well until chilled, and then, double strain into a glass.
To garnish:
- Add a layer of whipped cream up to the rim of the glass. Make sure to cover the cocktail.
- Add straw and spoon and sprinkle in a layer of crushed cookie on top of the whipped cream layer.
- Garnish with mint and edible flowers to the cookie layer.
- Top with the vodka spiked gummy worms or regular gummy worms.
THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US
Nice post
I will definitely try this recipe.
Glad to hear!
The desserts look so delicious and so wonderful. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
atari breakout
These are adorable! So cute and clever. I can’t wait to make them.
thanks so much Kate! Ashley seriously out did herself with these. Let us know how they turn out! :)
I had been seeing all these pudding dirt cup recipes all over Instagram, but I like the idea of a cocktail so much more. Thanks for sharing this fun recipe!
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
so awesome to hear that, Helen! Thank you! xoxo
Dirt cups!!! I totally forgot about dirt cups. What a delicious, fun Halloween treat. Thanks for the inspo and reconnect with my inner child ;)
haha right?! So glad you like it, Jodi! xo