Liven up your Halloween party with these crowd pleasing Pumpkin Dirt Pudding Graveyard Parfaits.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Ingredients
Instructions
For the pudding:
For the RIP cookies:
Recipe by Neighborfood
Happy Baking Days says
October 27, 2013 at 7:21 AMThese are so creative, I love them! They would be perfect at the end of a Halloween meal. Pinning!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:14 PMThank you!
Liz says
October 27, 2013 at 7:48 AMWhat darling parfaits! Perfect for Halloween!!!
Kathia Rodriguez says
October 27, 2013 at 8:13 AMThis are perfect, delicious looking parfaits. Thank you for sharing
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:14 PMThanks for hosting! Such a fun party this week!
supperforasteal says
October 27, 2013 at 9:51 AMThese are so cute, perfect for a Halloween party.
Family Foodie says
October 27, 2013 at 9:57 AMWhat a fun idea…. so cute they could even be used as a centerpiece!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:14 PMThat’s a great idea! I hadn’t thought of that!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
October 27, 2013 at 10:39 AMChocolate and pumpkin…a perfect combination. Love the topping.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:13 PMIt’s actually even better than I thought. Love the two flavors together!
Jennifer Drummond says
October 27, 2013 at 10:48 AMOhhhh, 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? 😉
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:13 PMHey, I’m not here to judge. 😉
littleredkitchen says
October 27, 2013 at 11:04 AMI 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.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:13 PMYou’re right. My hubby loves the all chocolate version, but I really liked this for a change.
Kim says
October 27, 2013 at 11:24 AMI’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?)
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:12 PMGreat minds indeed! 😉
Shaina Wizov says
October 27, 2013 at 11:40 AMI 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
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:12 PMThanks Shaina. Such fun memories!
Megan Wood says
October 27, 2013 at 11:46 AMSeriously, how cute are these!!! I am pinning now 🙂
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:12 PMThanks Megan!
Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious says
October 27, 2013 at 12:06 PMBeautiful presentation!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says
October 27, 2013 at 12:08 PMThey look so tempting, no wonder you all wanted them! A recipe to try soon!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:12 PMDefinitely. Kids love them, but I’ve seen adults go nuts for this too!
Ruthy says
October 27, 2013 at 12:14 PMI 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!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:11 PMI know, right?! So funny. I’d like to think my tastes are more refined than they were 15 years ago, but let’s be honest, I still go nuts over a giant bowl of pudding and Oreos.
Tara says
October 27, 2013 at 12:18 PMGreat dessert for Halloween, love the RIP cookies!!!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 27, 2013 at 1:11 PMThanks Tara!
Nicole Humphrey Cook says
October 27, 2013 at 1:53 PMI love these! I love what you did with them, so cute!! And yum! Love oreo’s, munching on a few with my coffee right now. 🙂
Laura Dembowski says
October 27, 2013 at 1:57 PMDirt is so yummy! I made it last year with homemade vanilla pudding and candy corn oreos. OMG! Love the addition of pumpkin too.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 28, 2013 at 9:46 AMI’ve never made the dish with from scratch pudding, but I’m sure it takes it to the next level!
Heather S-G says
October 27, 2013 at 3:18 PMThese look delicious! I love the use of pumpkin to make it extra Halloweeny (with the orange and black). Okay, another must-make added to my long list…
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 28, 2013 at 9:46 AMNot enough hours in the day for all these great recipes!
The Ninja Baker says
October 27, 2013 at 5:02 PMI 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.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 28, 2013 at 9:47 AMYou’re always welcome! 🙂 Have you tried the Cool Whip Frosting? I’m usually not a big fan of storebought frostings, but holy moly is that stuff good!
The Ninja Baker says
October 29, 2013 at 8:24 PMI’ve been hesitant to buy the Cool Whip Frostings. But with your endorsement you can bet I’m going to be digging my spoon into the stuff to taste – I mean – frost my cakes =)
Sarah R says
October 27, 2013 at 7:46 PMYuuuum! The fam would love this
Lori | Foxes Love Lemons says
October 27, 2013 at 11:50 PMThis post made me laugh out loud. I love how everything at the potluck lurked under a cloak of cheese 🙂
I’m digging everything about these parfaits, but definitely the Milano gravestones. Bravo!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 28, 2013 at 9:47 AMIt’s so true…and I LOVED it. 🙂
Stacy says
October 28, 2013 at 11:18 AMMilanos 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.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
October 28, 2013 at 3:05 PMSo adorable!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 28, 2013 at 4:45 PMThanks so much! I thought so too..even though I felt a little weird calling a graveyard adorable. 😉
Renee Dobbs says
October 28, 2013 at 4:17 PMI 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.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 29, 2013 at 11:35 AMI’m glad other people have such good memories of church potlucks. The cookbooks from my church are some of my favs!
mommasangelbaby says
October 28, 2013 at 5:29 PMI love the milano cookie-tombstones! What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing on #SundaySupper
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
October 28, 2013 at 8:46 PMSo awesome and so easy! I love the little tombstones!
Cindys Recipes says
October 28, 2013 at 10:08 PMPumpkin and oreos sound too good together. Milanos are my fav though.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 29, 2013 at 11:34 AMMe too! They’re a weakness.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
October 29, 2013 at 9:07 AMThese are the cutest!
Jane's Adventures in Dinner says
October 29, 2013 at 11:07 AMSo adorable! I can imagine a little kiddo that would dive right into these.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 29, 2013 at 11:34 AMI’m sure they would! And they’d have the orangey, cookie crumb face to prove it! 🙂
Bobbi Renee Hass-Burleson says
November 1, 2013 at 6:11 PMHehehe we used to do something like this when I was little and put fake flowers in it. I like your version better!!
Mariam says
September 24, 2015 at 1:45 PMThis is such a great recipe! It was so great that I included it in my “Best Halloween Party Desserts” post that just went up. Check it out! I think guests of any halloween party will love your dessert!
Love,
Mariam
The Petite Bijou
http://www.thepetitebijou.com
Lindsay McCole says
October 29, 2015 at 4:58 PMdo you cook the pudding or just throw in the dry mix?
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
October 29, 2015 at 5:54 PMIt’s no cook! Just be sure to use instant pudding.
Mary Iliopoulos says
October 25, 2016 at 9:19 AMDo 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.
Courtney says
October 25, 2016 at 11:38 AMYou can definitely do that Mary! This recipe will fill an 8 inch pan, doubled should be plenty for a 9 x 13.
Laurie says
October 18, 2017 at 5:48 PMHi 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.
Carrie Ventre says
October 30, 2017 at 3:32 PMHow fast in advance can I take these for a party? The day before ok?
Courtney @ NeighborFood says
October 30, 2017 at 3:53 PMThe day before would be fine! You can save the top layer of crumbs and put it on right before the party if you want them to have a little crunch.