Halloween Dirt Cupcakes

These chocolate frosted Halloween dirt cupcakes are poked with pudding, then layered with cookie crumbles and creepy crawly candies. Great for your Halloween party dessert spread, right next to the Monster Brownies!

Why this recipe works

Let’s creep it real, Halloween dirt cupcakes look downright adorable (or, should I say spooky?), but in reality, they’re quite easy to make. If you’ve ever heard of dirt cups, they’re essentially the same but in cupcake form.

In short, it’s a chocolate cupcake base that’s poked with chocolate pudding and topped with dreamy chocolate fudge frosting. On top of all of that, you’ll sprinkle on some crushed Oreo cookies to mimic the look of dirt and squeeze in some gummy worms as if they’re bursting through the surface of the earth. Easy peasy. Especially if you take the shortcut and use a cake mix!

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CUPCAKE – We like to keep things easy around here, so a chocolate cake mix does the trick. Of course, you can make your own chocolate cupcakes if preferred, that’s entirely up to you!

PUDDING – We made ours into poke cupcakes with the pudding. This part is totally optional. You can’t really see the pudding when you break the cupcakes open but you can taste it! It didn’t take much pudding, so we had plenty left over to pop in the fridge for quickie snacks. You can also use it (and any leftover Oreo crumbs) to make our Halloween Dirt Cups!

FROSTING – My homemade chocolate fudge frosting is excellent here. It has the best pipeable consistency and stands up well with additional toppings. Chocolate buttercream is also a great option! You can also use canned frosting instead of homemade if needed. You will need to thicken it first by adding powdered sugar until you achieve a thicker piping consistency.

How to Make Halloween Dirt Cupcakes

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. If you would like to make these into poke cupcakes, use a chopstick or similar sized object to make three holes in the top of each cupcake.
2. With pudding in a piping bag, squeeze pudding into the holes and level off the top.
3. Frost the cupcakes. We used a large star tip, but if you like you can simply spread the frosting on.
4. Run the Oreo cookies through your mini chopper or food processor until fine crumbs form.
5. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cupcakes.
6. Decorate with gummy worms by placing them on top and inserting them into the frosting. We found that cutting the worms in half worked best!

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Absolutely. You can prepare, frost, and decorate these cupcakes a day in advance. I would recommend storing them in an air-tight container or cupcake carrier kept in the refrigerator due to the frosting containing dairy. Allow them to rest at room temperature for around 30 minutes to take the chill off before enjoying.

Store your Halloween dirt cupcakes in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Variations for Halloween Dirt Cupcakes

During the Halloween season, many stores carry festive candy and gummy candies. Look for gummy “body parts”, skulls, and eyeballs. Big box stores like Walmart and Target usually have a large selection.

• Top your cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles instead of crushed Oreos for an alternative “dirt” effect.
• Instead of gummy worms, you can add candy pumpkins, candy corn, chocolate spiders, or candy skeletons.
• For more of a graveyard look, try adding a tombstone made out of either Nutter Butter or Milano cookies. Use black gel icing to write “R.I.P.” on the cookies, then place on top of the frosting. They’d be extra cute with a candy pumpkin on the side.
• Marshmallow ghosts (you can find them in stores), or marshmallow Frankenstein’s, are also a good idea!
• You can slightly melt marshmallows to create a spiderweb on top. Use your fingers to stretch the melted marshmallow over your candy toppings.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your Halloween dirt cupcakes just above room temperature. You won’t want to bite into them chilled as the gummy worms harden when cold.

I raised four children to adulthood and made plenty of treats along the way. I’ll never forget the first time I made my Kitty Litter Cake for my daughter’s Halloween party when she was in 6th grade. Oh, the faces of those kids! I think there were only 2 kids out of the whole lot that actually tried it. These cupcakes are a much safer bet, as most kids love gummy worms.

More Halloween Recipes

• Ghost Brownies
• Mummy Cookies
• Halloween Candy Apples
• Halloween Oreo Truffles

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