by Contributing Writer
Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays of the year. I love the creativity that goes into the costume designs, spooky decorations, and ghoulish treats. As a pastry chef, it’s my job is to come up with the variety of devilish treats for the bakery.Whether it’s a cute little monster head on top of a cupcake/cake, brownies made into a graveyard, or a pretzel made into a severed finger…the possibilities are endless.
This year, I wanted to make a Halloween inspired dessert that was both whimsical and, of course, scrumptious. Dirt cups have been around for a long time and people often associate them with nostalgic memories of childhood. Since it’s so popular with both adults and kids, I wanted to come up with a version that had a lot of deliciously spooky elements.
Instead of just using chocolate pudding at the bottom, I decided on alternating layers of the pudding with crushed Heath toffee bits for added texture. The top is covered with the traditional chocolate Oreo cookie crumbs.I also used mini gummy worms and candy pumpkins for added effect. The tombstones are store-bought Milano cookies with black frosting lettering. Finally, whipped cream was used for the ghost and mini chocolate chips for the ghostly eyes.
Ghoulish Graveyard Dirt Cups // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity
You can either assemble it in one large trifle dish or into individual portions. The fun thing about this is that you can decorate it however you want.
Ghoulish Graveyard Dirt Cups // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity
I like the novelty of getting your own cup and enjoying it a mouthful at a time. There are a few steps to this dessert but with advanced planning and organization, it’s relatively easy to make. Trust me, you won’t regret it once you see the end result. So what are we waiting for? Let’s make someghoulish graveyard dirt cups!
Fab Recipe: Ghoulish Graveyard Cups
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Sherrie Tan
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Pudding
- 6 yolks
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups half & half
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted over double boiler
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Decorations
- 1 package (8 oz) Heath toffee bits
- 15 pieces Oreos, crushed into fine crumbs
- 1 package (7.5 oz) Pepperidge Farm Double Chocolate Milano Cookies
- 16 pieces mini chocolate chips
- 1 tube of store-bought black frosting in tube or edible black marker
- Candy pumpkins and mini gummi worms for decorating
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff and place in a Ziploc bag.
- 8 (6 oz) clear plastic cups
Instructions
For the Chocolate Pudding
- Place the heavy cream and half & half in a nonreactive saucepan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Place the cornstarch and sugar in a bowl and rub together with your hands to break up lumps.
- Add the yolks and stir to combine.
- Gradually whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk/sugar/cornstarch mixture. This technique is called tempering.
- Return the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat while whisking constantly. Let the thickened pudding come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and whisk vigorously for 2-3 minutes more to cook off the starch.
- Take it off the heat.
- Add the salt and vanilla. Then, add the melted chocolate.
- Whisk together until combined.
- Pour the mixture in a clean bowl.
- Cover directly with plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until very cold.
- Place the mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut a little opening at the corner.
- Set aside.
To Assemble
- Grab 8 (6 oz) clear plastic cups. Decorating the dirt cups is my favorite part of this process. I like to use the help of store-bought cookies and candies to create that spooktacular look.
- Alternate piping the pudding and the toffee bits until you have a total of 2 layers of pudding and 2 layers of toffee bits. The very top will be covered in chocolate cookie crumbs.
- Write the word R.I.P. using black frosting tube or edible black marker on each of the cookie. I like using the store-bought Milano cookies.
- Insert the prepared cookie on one side of the pudding cup.
- Cut off a corner about ½ inch thick on the Ziplock bag with the whipped cream in it.
- Start piping the ghost using a circular motion until you form a mound.
- Place 2 mini chocolate chips to make the eyes.
- Lay one candy pumpkin on one side and 2 or 3 pieces of the gummy worms sporadically on top.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
FAB TIP: Try to make the chocolate pudding the night before and assemble the next day. This will make the whole process easier and more efficient.
Ghoulish Graveyard Dessert Cups // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity
Aren’t these the cutest things you have ever seen? If you don’t have time to make the chocolate pudding from scratch, you can always use store bought chocolate pudding from a box. Hope you guys can find time to make these delightfully scary dessert!
Savor Every Moment,
Sherrie
