Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies

My mom used to make Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies in a clean flower pot for every birthday party I had growing up.

She’d stick a plastic flower in the middle and hand me a new gummy worm to bury every time I finished a bite.

I hadn’t thought about that flower pot in probably fifteen years until I started testing this cookie.

The second the black cocoa cookie base came out of the oven, that same smell hit me and I was seven years old again.

So I knew I had to turn that whole memory into something you could hold in one hand.

This cookie is basically that childhood dessert, just shrunk down and made a little more grown-up with real pudding frosting piped on top.

It’s a soft, almost fudgy cookie made extra dark with black cocoa powder, studded with crushed Oreos.

Then it gets topped with a whipped chocolate pudding frosting, more Oreo crumbs, and of course, a gummy worm.

It’s silly and a little nostalgic and completely worth making.

One bite and you’re back at a birthday party with a plastic flower pot on the table.

Why This Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies Recipe Works

• Black cocoa powder gives the cookie base that deep, almost Oreo-like color and flavor you can’t fake with regular cocoa
• Crushed Oreos go right into the dough and get rolled onto the outside, so every bite has that cookies-and-cream crunch
• The pudding frosting whips up light and fluffy instead of dense, so it doesn’t weigh the cookie down
• Everything can be made a few days ahead, which makes this a genuinely easy party dessert
• It’s the kind of dessert that makes adults act like kids again, which is honestly the whole point

The Parts of This Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies Recipe

There are really just two components here, and neither one takes much effort.

• Oreo cookie base: A soft, black cocoa cookie loaded with crushed Oreos, rolled in more crumbs before baking
• Chocolate pudding frosting: A whipped, no-bake topping made from instant pudding mix, cream, and cocoa powder

Ingredient Notes

• Black cocoa powder is not the same as regular or dutch-process cocoa — it’s much darker and less bitter, and it’s what gives these cookies their signature Oreo-like color
• Use regular Oreos, not double stuffed, and don’t scrape out the cream filling before crushing them
• Make sure your pudding mix is the instant kind, not cook-and-serve, or the frosting won’t set up properly
• Cold heavy cream whips up faster and holds its shape better in the frosting

Full Ingredients List

Oreo Cookie Base

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup black cocoa powder
• 3 1/4 cups crushed Oreos, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Pudding Frosting

• 1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix, dry
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping

• Gummy worms
• Extra Oreo crumbs

I make these cookies uniform every single time because I portion the dough with the same cookie scoop I use for basically everything I bake.

Shop the Cookie Scoop I Use →

How to Make Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars

1. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients

1. Add the flour, black cocoa powder, 2 1/2 cups of the crushed Oreos, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Mix on low just until the dough comes together — it will look dry at first, but don’t overmix.

This dough looks crumbly right up until you actually touch it — trust the process and stop mixing as soon as it holds together.

Step 3: Shape and Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 365°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Scoop the dough into 1/4 cup portions and roll each one in the remaining crushed Oreos.
3. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet and gently flatten each one with your palm.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers still look soft.
5. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

If a cookie bakes up a little uneven, use a large round cutter right out of the oven and gently swirl it around the edge to nudge the cookie back into a circle.

Step 4: Whip the Pudding Frosting

1. Add the dry pudding mix, cold cream, cold milk, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
2. Beat with a mixer until thick and smooth, about a minute.
3. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to pipe it onto the cooled cookies.

Double-check that pudding box says instant — a cook-and-serve mix will leave you with soup instead of frosting.

Step 5: Assemble

1. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.
2. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cooled cookie.
3. Sprinkle with extra Oreo crumbs and press a gummy worm into the top of each one.

Serving Ideas & Variations

• Swap the gummy worms for mini plastic shovels and serve these at a kids’ birthday party
• Use white chocolate pudding mix for a lighter-colored frosting with the same rich cookie base
• Sandwich two cookies together with extra frosting in the middle for an even bigger treat

Tips for Success

• Don’t overmix the dough once the flour goes in, or the cookies will bake up tough
• Pull the cookies out when the centers still look a little underdone — they finish setting as they cool
• Use very cold cream and milk for the frosting so it whips up thick instead of runny
• Chill the frosting briefly if it feels too soft to pipe cleanly

Notes & FAQ

• Do these need to be refrigerated? Once topped with frosting, yes — store them in the fridge. Plain, unfrosted cookies can sit at room temperature.
• Can I make the frosting ahead? Yes, it keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• How long do finished cookies last? Up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
• Can I use regular chocolate pudding instead of the dry mix? No — the dry mix is what allows the frosting to whip up thick with the cream and milk. Already-prepared pudding won’t work the same way.
• My frosting won’t thicken, what went wrong? Double-check that you grabbed an instant pudding mix and not a cook-and-serve version, which won’t set without heat.
• Can I skip the black cocoa powder? You can use regular cocoa in a pinch, but the color and flavor won’t be quite as close to a real Oreo.

🖨 Print Recipe

Dirt Cake Cookies

Soft black cocoa Oreo cookies topped with whipped chocolate pudding frosting, Oreo crumbs, and a gummy worm.

Prep
40 min

Bake
10 min

Total
50 min

Servings
20 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup black cocoa powder
• 3 1/4 cups crushed Oreos, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (frosting)
• Gummy worms and extra Oreo crumbs, for topping

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugars, then mix in eggs and vanilla.
2. Add flour, black cocoa, 2 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined.
3. Portion into 1/4 cup balls, roll in remaining Oreo crumbs, flatten slightly, and bake at 365°F for 10-12 minutes.
4. Cool on the pan 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
5. Whip the pudding mix, cream, milk, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until thick.
6. Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies, top with Oreo crumbs and a gummy worm.

Notes

• Use instant pudding mix only, not cook-and-serve
• Frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead
• Frosted cookies must be refrigerated and keep for up to 4 days

Nutrition (per cookie, estimated)

• Calories: 610
• Total Fat: 29g
• Saturated Fat: 16g
• Cholesterol: 80mg
• Sodium: 475mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 84g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Sugars: 41g
• Protein: 8g
• Calcium: 65mg
• Iron: 6mg
• Potassium: 270mg

Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary based on the exact ingredients and brands used. Recalculate if you make substitutions.

I brought a batch of these to my niece’s sleepover last weekend and watched six kids fight over who got the gummy worm with the most frosting on it.

Somehow the adults in the room got just as competitive about it.

That’s really the sign of a good recipe, isn’t it — when it makes grown-ups act like kids again.

If you try these, I’d love to know if you went with a classic gummy worm or got creative with the topping.

Leave a comment below and let me know how yours turned out, or tag me if you snap a photo.

Jessica Moore

Jessica is the baker and recipe developer behind CookieRecipesOnline.com, where she shares kitchen-tested desserts made for real home kitchens.