Looking for an easy Halloween dessert the kids can help make? These graveyard dirt cups are layered with silky chocolate pudding and crushed cocoa biscuit "soil", then decorated with wriggling gummy worms, biscuit tombstones and little white chocolate ghosts. They're no-bake, take about 20 minutes of hands-on time and are guaranteed to be the star of your Halloween party table.
Prep time: 20 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour | Makes: 6 cups
Why you'll love these Halloween dirt cups
- No oven needed: just whisk, layer and decorate.
- Perfect for kids: crushing the biscuits and burying the worms is half the fun.
- Make ahead: prepare them the morning of your party and keep them in the fridge.
- Easy to scale: double the recipe for a classroom or a big Halloween party.
Ingredients (makes 6 cups)
- 2 x 120g packs Basak Cocoa Pudding mix
- Milk, as directed on the pudding pack
- 200g Pan di Stelle cocoa biscuits
- 1–2 x 80g bags Haribo Worms
- 90g Milka White chocolate, for the ghosts
- A few wafer bars or rectangular biscuits, for tombstones
- Writing icing or melted chocolate, for decorating
- 6 clear cups or small jars
How to make Halloween graveyard dirt cups
- Make the pudding. Prepare the cocoa pudding with milk according to the pack instructions. Pour into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film and leave to cool slightly.
- Make the "soil". Put the biscuits in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin until they look like crumbly soil.
- Pipe the ghosts. Melt the white chocolate in short bursts in the microwave. Spoon or pipe small ghost shapes onto baking paper, add two dots of melted dark chocolate for eyes and chill for 15 minutes until set.
- Layer the cups. Spoon a layer of biscuit soil into each cup, add a layer of pudding, then repeat, finishing with a thick layer of soil on top.
- Decorate. Write "RIP" on the wafers with icing and push them in as tombstones. Poke gummy worms in so they look like they're crawling out of the soil, and stand a ghost in each cup.
- Chill. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Tips and spooky variations
- Add a crunch layer: sprinkle chopped Milka Oreo between the pudding layers.
- Make one big graveyard: layer everything in a large dish for a sharing centrepiece.
- Grown-up version: add a splash of coffee liqueur to the pudding for adults-only cups.
- Swap the sweets: any jelly sweets work – browse our Halloween treats for more ideas.
Halloween dirt cup FAQs
How far ahead can I make dirt cups?
Up to 24 hours ahead. Add the gummy worms and ghosts no more than a few hours before serving so they stay firm and the biscuit top stays crunchy.
Can I use homemade chocolate pudding?
Yes – any chocolate pudding or chocolate mousse works. A packet mix just makes it quicker for a busy Halloween.
What other biscuits can I use for the dirt?
Any dark chocolate biscuits work well, including cocoa sandwich biscuits or chocolate digestives.
Shop this Halloween recipe
Grab cocoa pudding, Pan di Stelle biscuits and Haribo Worms for your spooky dessert, and stock up on trick-or-treat sweets in our Halloween collection and chocolates & sweets.