These dirt cake cookies are just like the classic dessert you remember from childhood but in tasty cookie form! The base is a rich, chewy chocolate cookie topped with smooth chocolate buttercream frosting, Oreo cookie dirt, and a candy gummy worm! They are the perfect cookie for Halloween parties or any other time of year!
Best Chocolate Dirt Cake Cookies
I love baking fun and festive Halloween cookie recipes because I can go wild with decorating and using fun, seasonal ingredients like candy. These dirt cake cookies are always a hit with the kids since they can help crush the Oreo cookies into 'dirt' and place the chewy gummy worms!
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🥘 Dirt Cake Cookies Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutions
While these cookies have three components (the cookies, the frosting, and the 'decorations'), all ingredients should be easy to find. My homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is the perfect base for all the cookie 'dirt'!
Chocolate Cookies
- Butter - ½ cup of unsalted butter softened at room temperature.
- Sugar - ¾ cup of granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookie dough if you want a little extra pop of sweetness.
- Light Brown Sugar - ¼ cup of packed light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. You can also try a light brown sugar substitute.
- Egg - 1 large egg at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or a vanilla extract substitute
- Dark Cocoa Powder - ½ cup of unsweetened dark cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Espresso Powder (optional) - ½ tablespoon of espresso powder. This is the secret ingredient for ultra-rich dark chocolate cookies!
- Cornstarch - 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or a cornstarch substitute.
- Baking Soda - ½ teaspoon of baking soda or a baking soda substitute.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt to cut the sweetness.
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour or an all-purpose flour substitute (spooned and leveled).
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Butter - 1 cup of butter or a suitable butter substitute softened at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
- Cocoa Powder - ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Confectioner's Sugar - 3 cups of powdered sugar or a confectioners' sugar substitute.
- Heavy Cream - 2-4 tablespoons of heavy cream or a heavy cream substitute.
- Salt - A pinch of salt to taste.
Decorating
- Gummy Worms - Gummy worm candies (1-2 gummy worms per cookie).
- Oreos - 10 chocolate Oreo cookies, crushed.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Dirt Cake Cookies
It may seem like a lot of steps, but these cookies aren't very difficult. You can always use store-bought frosting to speed things up (though homemade always tastes best, in my opinion)!
You will need your stand mixer, measuring utensils, a silicone spatula, a baking sheet, and a piping bag or Ziploc bag.
This recipe is for 18 standard-sized cookies, though you can always make them larger or smaller. Just keep an eye on them and adjust the baking time as necessary.
Mix & Bake The Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.
- Cream butter and sugar. Using your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup (113.5 grams) of butter, ¾ cup (150 grams) of sugar, and ¼ cup (55 grams) of light brown sugar at medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Then, add 1 large egg (50 grams) and 1 teaspoon (4.93 milliliters) of vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients (½ cup (43 grams) of unsweetened dark cocoa powder, ½ tablespoon (2.5 grams) of espresso powder (if using), 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon (2 grams) of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) of salt) and mix on low speed until smooth again. Add 1 ¼ cups (156.25 grams) all-purpose flour and mix until just combined.
- Portion the dough. Scoop the dough into portions that are 2 tablespoons (34.14 grams) each and roll them into a ball with your hands. Place them onto the baking sheet, leaving 3-4 inches of space in between each one.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges have set and the cookies have puffed up.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Mix The Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup (227 grams) of butter for 1 minute or until creamy. Add 2 teaspoons (2.86 milliliters)of vanilla extract and mix until smooth and creamy again.
- Add cocoa powder. Add ¾ cup (64.5 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder and mix until smooth again.
- Alternate sugar and cream. Alternate adding 1 cup portions (125 grams) of the 3 cups (360 grams) of confectioners sugar and drizzle in small portions of the 2-4 tablespoons (29.57 milliliters) of heavy cream, mixing with the butter at medium speed. Continue until all of the confectioners' sugar and cocoa have been incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Taste and adjust sweetness with a pinch of salt at a time.
- Beat until smooth. Increase your hand mixer or stand mixer speed to high and finish beating the frosting until smooth and creamy, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble the Dirt Cake Cookies
- Pipe the frosting. Transfer the chocolate buttercream into a large or Ziploc storage bag. Use a large round piping tip, or snip the corner of the baggie off and pipe the frosting onto the top of each cookie.
- Make the 'dirt'. Sprinkle 10 crushed Oreos over the frosting.
- Add gummy worms. Top each cookie with 1-2 gummy worms, and they are ready to serve.
🍪 What To Serve With Dirt Cake Cookies
These thick and chewy chocolate dirt cake cookies are always delicious with a glass of milk! Pair them with these easy popcorn balls and a platter of Nutter Butter mummies to serve a fun and festive Halloween dessert spread!
These cookies are great for Halloween Boo-ing your neighbors, too! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Be sure to spoon and level your flour when measuring. Scooping directly into the bag compresses the flour, meaning you will have more than is needed and might end up with dry cookies.
- You want to wait until your cookies are completely cool before you frost them. Otherwise, your frosting will melt right off!
- I usually put the Oreo cookies in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them for easy cleanup. A food processor works, too.
- Any chocolate sandwich cookie can be used for the cookie crumb dirt. Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, and most grocery stores have their own (typically less-expensive) store brands.
- While gummy worms are the traditional choice for dirt cake, you can swap them out for other gummy candy critters! Around Halloween, you can typically find gummy frogs, gummy eyeballs, and gummy bugs, which would all be equally fun and tasty!
🥄 Make Ahead Options
If you'd like to save yourself some time and prepare your cookies in advance, you can always freeze the cookie dough! Portion the prepared dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on a baking sheet.
Pop the baking sheet in the freezer for an hour so the dough will not stick together, then transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
You can also make the buttercream in advance. Place your prepared buttercream frosting in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and refrigerate it for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Let frozen buttercream thaw in the fridge overnight before using. The cookies can be baked from frozen, but you should let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking to take some of the chill off.
🥡 Storing
These dirt cake cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They will last for a week in the fridge, but the gummy worms will harden.
Freezing Dirt Cake Cookies
While I don't recommend freezing the gummy worms, you can freeze the baked and frosted cookies. I like to place a layer of parchment paper between the cookies and put them in a freezer storage bag.
The cookies will freeze well for up to 3 months and can be thawed out at room temperature to eat.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
You certainly don't have to make your chocolate buttercream from scratch. A tub of chocolate buttercream or chocolate frosting will have the same effect and still be perfectly tasty if you're short on time or ingredients.
Sure! I recommend making them only 24-48 hours ahead of time for the best flavor and texture. Additional options include freezing the baked cookies or cookie dough (see my "make-ahead options" above). They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container until needed!
Absolutely! Add crushed nuts, mini chocolate chips, or other mix-ins to the cookie dough for added texture and flavor. You can also decorate the cookies with different flavors of buttercream frosting (though you might not get the same 'dirt-like' appearance).
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📖 Recipe Card
Dirt Cake Cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- ½ cup butter (unsalted, softened, at room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar (plus more for rolling if desired)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed, or use dark brown sugar)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (or use Dutch-processed cocoa powder)
- ½ tablespoon espresso powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 2-4 tablespoon heavy cream
- salt (to taste)
Decorating
- gummy worms (1-2 gummy worms per cookie)
- 10 Oreos (crushed)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.
- Using your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup butter, ¾ cup sugar, and ¼ cup light brown sugar at medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Then, add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients (½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder, ½ tablespoon espresso powder (if using), 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt) and mix on low speed until smooth again. Add 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour and mix until just combined.
- Scoop the dough into portions that are 2 tablespoons each and roll them into a ball with your hands. Place them onto the baking sheet, leaving 3-4 inches of space in between each one.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges have set and the cookies have puffed up.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup butter for 1 minute or until creamy. Add 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until smooth and creamy again.
- Add ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and mix until smooth again.
- Alternate 1 cup portions of the 3 cups confectioners sugar and drizzling in portions of the 2-4 tablespoon heavy cream, mixing with the butter at medium speed. Continue until all of the confectioners' sugar and cocoa have been incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Taste and adjust sweetness with a pinch of salt at a time.
- Increase your hand mixer or stand mixer speed to high and finish beating the frosting until smooth and creamy, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble the Dirt Cake Cookies
- Transfer the chocolate buttercream into a large piping bag or Ziploc storage bag. Use a large round piping tip, or snip the corner of the baggie off and pipe the frosting onto the top of each cookie.
- Sprinkle crushed 10 Oreos crumbs over the frosting.
- Top each cookie with 1-2 gummy worms and they are ready to serve.
Notes
- Be sure to spoon and level your flour when measuring.
- Wait until your cookies are completely cool before you frost them.
- Put the Oreo cookies in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them for easy cleanup. A food processor works, too.
- Any chocolate sandwich cookie can be used for the cookie crumb dirt.
- Gummy worms are commonly used for dirt cakes. However, you can swap them out for other gummy candy critters.
- To store: These dirt cake cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They will last for a week in the fridge, but the gummy worms will harden.
- To Freeze: I don't recommend freezing the gummy worms, but you can freeze the baked cookies or baked and frosted cookies. Place a layer of parchment paper between the cookies and put them in a freezer storage bag. The cookies will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
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