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Pumpkin Dirt Pudding (Graveyard Parfaits)

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Liven up your Halloween party with these crowd pleasing Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits.

Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits | Neighborfoodblog.com #pumpkin #Halloween #recipe

The church I went to as a kid had epic Sunday potlucks once a month. It was always my favorite Sunday. I’d sit anxiously all throughout the service as the smells of cheesy casseroles and lasagnas and crockpot meatballs filled the sanctuary. As soon as the final AMEN crossed the pastor’s lips, all of the kids rushed to get in line for the food. There were always dishes we looked forward to– Aunt Betty’s Chicken and Noodles, hashbrown cheesy potatoes, taco salad, and all sorts of unidentifiable dishes lurking under a cover of melted cheese.

Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits | Neighborfoodblog.com #pumpkin #Halloween #recipe

But the real rush was for dessert. At the end of the food line sat an entire table dedicated to the sweet stuff. There were chocolate chip cookies and custard pies, fudgy brownies, and cherry delight. But we only wanted one thing: dirt pudding. A mixture of crumbled Oreos and creamy chocolate pudding, dirt pudding is pretty much every kid’s dream. For potlucks, it was often piled into a plastic flower pot and finished with Oreo “dirt”, gummy worms, and a big plastic flower for effect.

It. was. awesome.

I’ve shared the recipe for classic Dirt Pudding before. But with Halloween right around the corner, I decided it was time to update this dessert and give it a spooky fall makeover.

Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits | Neighborfoodblog.com #pumpkin #Halloween #recipe

First step? Pumpkinize it! Obviously. This pumpkin pudding is as easy as tossing a can of evaporated milk, a can of pumpkin puree, and a box of instant vanilla pudding into the mixture then blending it until creamy. I added a little cinnamon to bring out the flavors then stirred in some Cool Whip to make it nice and fluffy. Guys? There is a time and place for instant pudding and Cool Whip. This is one of those times.

Second step? Messy, crumbly, filthy dirt! (AKA: Delicious bits of crushed Oreos)

Third step? Tombstones. Have you ever noticed how much Milano cookies look like tombstones? Yeah, me neither. Until I saw these Fudgy Graveyard Brownies over at Picky Palate. Eerie isn’t it? A little bit of melted chocolate and a plastic baggie is all you need to pipe a few creepy “RIP”s on the stones.

Last but not least? Parfait it! Of course, there’s nothing particularly Halloweenish about parfaits, except that they’re awesome and infinitely more adorable than giant bowls of pudding.

Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits | Neighborfoodblog.com #pumpkin #Halloween #recipe

As cute as these little guys are, the best part about them is the taste. Pumpkin and Oreos are a surprisingly delightful combination. Except reaaaaally, it’s not surprising at all. Pumpkin spiced pudding and chocolatey cookies? This stuff was bound to be good.

I’m so excited to see all the other Halloween recipes my fellow Sunday Supper contributors came up with this week. Whether you’re looking for creepy, cooky, fun, or just plain delicious ideas for your Halloween party, you’re sure to find them in the list below!

Pumpkin Dirt Pudding (Graveyard Parfaits)

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cup)
  • 1 (5 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 an 8 oz container cool whip
  • 1 package oreos, crushed
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 8 Milano cookies
  • Handful chocolate chips

Instructions

For the pudding:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine evaporated milk, pumpkin puree, and pudding, and beat until mixture is smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and the cool whip. Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve.
  2. In a bowl, combine melted butter and crushed Oreos. Set aside until ready to serve.

For the RIP cookies:

  1. Line the Milano cookies up on a baking sheet or wax paper.
  2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave then place it in a plastic bag. Cut a teensy tiny hole in the corner of the plastic bag then push the chocolate to the corner.
  3. Use the melted chocolate to write out RIP on the top of each of the cookies. Allow to dry.
  4. To serve, layer Oreos in the bottom of the glasses. Spoon pudding to about 3/4 of the way full then finish with another layer of Oreos. Stake the Milano cookies in the pudding mixture, with the RIP on top. **This will serve different amounts depending on how big your glasses are. This will be enough for 8 juice size glasses or 4 large drinking glasses.
© Courtney

Recipe by Neighborfood

Comments

  7. Ohhhh, these look adorable! I just love them! What a great combo of flavors!!! I can see these on a Halloween buffet table!! I think I would eat about two of them! Maybe more? 😉

    Reply

  8. I remember my first dirt pudding with the gummy worms inside! It was awesome, but I love the colors on yours and the pumpkin pudding definitely breaks up all the chocolateness going on.

    Reply

  9. I’m not usually a pudding fan, but I LOVE dirt pudding. I love your Halloween twist on it! (And I almost bought Milanos to make tombstones, too. Great minds, eh?)

    Reply

  10. I loved making dirt as a kid! This is such an awesome idea for Halloween. I love all of the flavors you’ve put together! Yummmmm

    Reply

  14. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at Milano cookies the same way again! Dirt cake was always one of my favorites when I was a kid, too (although I wish my church’s potlucks were as awesome as your sound) and I haven’t had it in years!

    Reply

  17. Dirt is so yummy! I made it last year with homemade vanilla pudding and candy corn oreos. OMG! Love the addition of pumpkin too.

    Reply

  19. I want to go to your church, Courtney! Thank you for this fantastic pumpkin parfait recipe. My inner child (we talk like that in California) is jumping up and down with joy =) P.s. I’m a huge Cool Whip fan.

    Reply

  22. Milanos are perfect tombstones, Courtney! How have I never noticed that before now? I love the flavors you’ve got going here. As for the potlucks, the casseroles hidden with melted cheese are always my favorites. There can never be too much cheese.

    Reply

  24. I have plenty of memories of church potlucks too. I even have a couple of church cookbooks where they printed all the recipes. Dirt pudding (or sometimes called dirt cake) was a main feature. Love it and how you made it so fun for Halloween.

    Reply

  33. Do you think if I doubled the recipe that I could make a graveyard in a cake pan. I’m not really wanting to individualize the servings.

    Reply

  34. Hi there! I need to use organic pudding, and they did not have it in instant form. How do I adjust the recipe using cooked pudding?? My party is tomorrow evening.

    Reply

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