When I think of “Dirt”, 2 things come to mind. The first will always be the album, Dirt, which was created by my favorite band, Alice In Chains. The second is none other than the delicious, sweet treat Worms In Dirt (aka Dirt Cake, Dirt Pudding, Dirt Dessert, and whatever else you may call it). This Worms In Dirt recipe, though, is my grunge inspired riff on the traditional dessert we all know and love. If you’re a fan of Reese’s, Cheesecake, and of course, Oreos, this is a must for your next Halloween party. Keep reading for the recipe!

About This Musically Inspired Worms In Dirt Recipe

Spooky season is officially upon us! Unless you’re like my family who celebrates Halloween everyday. In which case…it never ends! And when I think of spooky food, the first thing that comes to mind is Dirt.

One of my best friends growing up was born in October. So when it came time for her birthday each year, it usually meant we’d be celebrating with a Halloween related activity. One year, she had a birthday party at a local haunted house, which scared the shit out of my preteen self. So much so that I didn’t make it all the way through. Instead, as my friends continued on, I made my exit and waited in the space underneath the haunted house that was rented for the actual pizza/cake part.

As I made my way through the appropriately decorated, dimly lit area, I noticed something on the food table I had never seen before. This chocolate-y wonder had gummy worms sticking out of crushed Oreos and just by looking at it, I knew it was going to be awesome. And oh, that it was.

That was the first time I had Dirt, and it would be the last until I started developing this recipe. And that’s despite years of me hoping that I would find it on someone’s table again. At the time, it was like the unicorn of dessert recipes. That changed though when I opted to make my own and it turned out so much better than what I remember from many moons ago! But those traditional elements that first caught my attention to begin with are all there too.

Of course, this Worms In Dirt recipe isn’t limited just to the Halloween season. While that’s what I associate this dessert with, this is also a common dessert for any type of gathering, including summertime! Sometimes in that case, you may see it served in a plastic bucket with a shovel.

What Makes This Dessert Different Than Traditional Dirt

Alice In Chains Inspired Worms In Dirt Recipe

Here at The Versatile Virgo, we’re anything but traditional!

Since this Worms In Dirt recipe is inspired by the iconic grunge era album from Alice In Chains, the ingredients list is focused around the album’s cover art. Since the cover is mostly orange, we’re using orange food coloring here. However, you could also mix equal parts red and yellow food coloring if you can’t find orange.

The Reese’s Cups, which aren’t used in a traditional dirt recipe, represent the darker orange and brown areas in the cover art. I considered using only Reese’s, but the Oreos are necessary. This is not only for a more accurate “dirt” look, but they help to keep the Reese’s cups from falling through the pudding mixture. Speaking of which, this recipe also utilizes cheesecake jello pudding in lieu of what would normally be chocolate or vanilla pudding. Those three ingredients are kind of like the holy trinity of this recipe and when you taste it, you’ll immediately know why.

Can Worms In Dirt Be Made Ahead?

Yes, and it’s actually recommended! But if you’re getting a late start and need to make this recipe the day of, give this at least 4 hours in the fridge before serving. The orange color of the dessert may also deepen the longer it sits, but this may be dependent on the type of food coloring you use. If you use gel food coloring like I did, this will be the case.

How to Make This Worms In Dirt Recipe

I wouldn’t really consider myself a dessert person. (I’m more of an appetizer/main course kind of cook/eater.) If I’m cooking for a crowd I don’t want to spend copious amounts of time making a dessert too. But no bake desserts are a different story. They’re quick, super easy, and usually consist of very basic ingredients. That’s how I would describe this recipe in a nutshell. The most work you’ll do is prepping the ingredients.

I don’t have a food processor. I also try to stay away from plastic bags to do my part to help the environment. Therefore, I simply chopped the Oreos and Reese’s into small pieces. However, you could easily use a food processor to chop up both. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also place the Oreos in a plastic bag, seal it up, and use a rolling pin to crush them. Again though, chopping by hand is also not as much work as it sounds like. Just be careful when you cut the Oreos and Reese’s because they will start to slide as you chop. I also recommend placing the Reese’s in the fridge to cool down beforehand. This will make chopping easier and stop them from melting all over your hands.

Other than that, it’s just a matter of mixing the jello, cool whip, and food coloring. Once you’ve prepped your ingredients, it’s time to layer and dig in!

How To Serve This Recipe

I recommend serving this Worms in Dirt Recipe in a large serving bowl or a trifle dish. You could also break this down into individual serving cups as well. However, when first testing this recipe I tried to use mason jars and found layering to be quite difficult. So individual serving cups with a wider opening would probably be best. As mentioned above, you could also serve this in a plastic bucket with a shovel.

Watch How To Make This Worms In Dirt Recipe

Or grab the ingredients list and the step by step below.