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Spooky Spiderweb Dirt Cups

These Spiderweb Dirt Cups are an absolute crowd-pleaser, perfect for parties, school treats, or just a fun afternoon activity with the kids. They bring back those sweet, innocent childhood memories, and the best part? They’re incredibly easy and quick to whip up, meaning less time in the kitchen and more time for Halloween frights!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 individual cups
Course: Dessert, Treat
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Dirt Cups
  • 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix (3.4 ounce)
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons black cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 26 chocolate sandwich cookies crushed
  • 15 gummy worms
  • 20 candy eyeballs
For the Spiderwebs and Spiders
  • 1/2 cup white candy melting wafers melted
  • crushed ice
  • 6 sugar-coated gummy bears for spiders

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Electric mixer
  • 6 clear cups
  • baking sheet
  • Kitchen towels
  • Piping bag with medium round tip

Method
 

  1. Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and the milk until everything is nice and smooth. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up.
  2. Step 2: In another large bowl, whip the heavy cream with your electric mixer on medium-high speed until you see soft peaks forming. Then, add in your black cocoa powder and whip on high speed until you have stiff peaks.
  3. Step 3: Gently fold one-third of the whipped cream mixture into the pudding. Then, carefully fold in the rest of the whipped cream until it’s just combined.
  4. Step 4: Divide about half of your creamy pudding mixture among 6 clear cups.
  5. Step 5: Top each cup with a heaping tablespoon of your crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.
  6. Step 6: Nestle 2-3 gummy worms and 3-4 candy eyeballs into the "dirt" layer, positioning them against the side of the cup so they peek out.
  7. Step 7: Top each cup with another heaping tablespoon of crushed cookies, followed by about 1/3 cup of the remaining pudding mixture.
  8. Step 8: Finish off the dirt layer by topping each cup with 2 more heaping tablespoons of crushed cookies.
  9. Step 9: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill and set.
  10. Step 10: Line a baking sheet with kitchen towels. Fill a large bowl with crushed ice and a little water. Press the ice down to create a flat surface.
  11. Step 11: Melt white candy wafers according to package directions. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, or a resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off.
  12. Step 12: Pipe 4 intersecting lines onto the ice bath, forming an asterisk. Pipe a circle just inside the asterisk, and a smaller circle inside that. This creates a spiderweb shape.
  13. Step 13: Let the spiderwebs set for about 10-15 seconds. Gently transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. Repeat to make 8 spiderwebs.
  14. Step 14: Arrange the sugar-coated gummy bears flat-side up. Using kitchen shears, carefully snip 3 narrow triangles from each short end to create legs.
  15. Step 15: Place one spiderweb on top of each of your chilled dirt cups.
  16. Step 16: Top each dirt cup with a gummy spider. Serve cold.

Notes

You can make the dirt cups up to a day in advance and store them in the refrigerator. The spiderwebs and spiders are best made closer to serving time for the freshest look.