This Dirt Cake Cookie recipe combines crushed oreo into a rich chocolate cookie base, which gets topped with a luscious frosting and gummy worms to create a playful and delicious treat resembling a mini garden. Perfect for parties and kids’ gatherings, these cookies are fun to make and fun to eat.
You’re going to loveee these Dirt Cake Cookies
Dirt Cake just SCREAMS summer and oh my these chocolate dirt cake cookies are TASTY! I brought them to a summer BBQ and everyone loved them. I made 12 pretty big cookies but you could easily make 24 mini cookies to share with a larger crowd!
This perfect base recipe is adapted from Salt and Baker’s chocolate cookie recipe. Credit to Whitney for developing such a solid oreo based cookie! They’re then topped with the most luscious chocolate frosting (with the simplest ingredients!) and you’ve just created a canvas for all the fun toppings. Gummy worms are a classic, but feel free to make it your own! Add piped green frosting to look like grass or flower sprinkles, too.
And if you’re looking for more backyard barbecue treats, also try these Marshmallow Fluff Rice Krispie Treats or these Crinkle Top Brownies, which are both crowd pleasers, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar – We will use both brown and white sugar.
- Black cocoa powder – Gives the dark dirt color and rich chocolate taste. I didn’t test these with regular cocoa but note it will change the color of the base of the cookie.
- All Purpose Flour – I’ve not tried alternatives, but 1:1 GF Flour should work fine.
- Oreo Sandwich Cookies – The crushed cookies will get mixed into the dough.
- Frosting – The classic dirt cake dessert uses instant pudding mix to make a chocolate pudding frosting. I prefer a buttercream frosting and this recipe calls for a simple one with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk (or heavy cream for an even richer frosting).
- Topping – Colorful gummy worms and fine crumbs of the oreo cookies.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
Decorate your chocolate cookies for different holidays!
- Easter: Add peeps on top instead of gummy worms. Or a strawberry dipped in orange melting candy to look like a carrot.
- Halloween: Add edible googly eyes, mini pumpkin candies or a decorative gravestone.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small food processor, pulse oreos until they are all crumbled. Set aside until ready to use.
2. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine room temperature unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat with the electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix again.
3. Pour the dry ingredients to create cookie batter: black cocoa, all purpose flour, oreo crumbs, baking powder/soda, and salt. Mix until a very black, oreo cookie batter is made.
4. Use a ½ tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop cookie dough into even balls. Roll with your hands and place cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are baked.
5. Remove from the oven, allow 2-3 minutes of rest time on the sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
6. In a separate bowl (or stand mixer), add powdered sugar, light cocoa powder, and room temperature butter. Slowly start to beat it and gradually add the milk. Frosting will start to thicken as milk is added. Once it’s a luscious, thick chocolate frosting, spread onto each cookie. I used a spoon to do this, but you can also use a piping bag or ziploc bag to pipe on your frosting in a circular motion. Top cookies with a gummy worm and/or additional oreo cookie crumbs. Store in the refrigerator to harden frosting or in a cool, dry environment.
PRO TIPS
- Don’t overbake the cookies! Because it is dark dough, it’s harder to tell when they’re done. Follow the recipe timing and trust the process. They will continue to bake when they come out so even if they ook a little gooey, don’t fret.
- Let the cookies cool COMPLETELY before frosting. Otherwise the frosting will melt into a glaze and the gummy worms won’t stick.
Storage and Freezing
These can be stored in an airtight container either on the counter or the refrigerator if you like a chewy, chilled cookie. In your storage container, add a piece of bread (I like to use the end piece of a loaf). The cookies will draw out the moisture from the bread and keep your cookies soft.
You can also freeze these cookies baked or unbaked.
- To freeze unbaked dough, scoop, roll in the sugar and place on a cookie sheet as if you’re going to bake them. Place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer for 3-4 hours until each dough ball is frozen (this’ll prevent them from sticking together). Then, place in a Ziplock or airtight container until ready to bake. You can bake the dough balls from frozen for 2-3 extra minutes.
- To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool completely before adding to a freezer bag or airtight container. I recommend layering parchment paper between each cookie stack. This will prevent the cookies from freezing altogether.
Recipe FAQs
The “dirt” dessert is classically dirt cups. There is also dirt cake, and of course these dirt cookies. The dirt in the name is in reference to the chocolate crumbs, particularly from the crushed oreos. We top them with gummy worms to resemble what you would find in the dirt in your yard.
A cookie scoop is ideal for evenly shaped cookies. I also like to use a mason jar ring placed over the cookie and swirled in a circular fashion right when they come out of the oven to get perfectly round and even cookies.
It definitely won’t hurt! Chilling the dough is to solidify the butter so the cookies don’t spread too much in the oven. If you prefer a thicker cookie, I recommend chilling the dough for 30 minutes or so prior to baking.
Serving suggestions
Oooooh, serve with milk because milk and cookies ofc!! Chocolate milk is really decadent. Or if serving these at a summer party, have a nostalgic dessert spread and serve beside a cooler filled with ice cream sandwiches and push pops and maybe these Fluffernutter Rice Krispies, too!
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Dirt Cake Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food Processor
- cookie scooper
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Piping bag optional
Ingredients
Oreo Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup black cocoa powder
- 1⅓ cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 10 Oreos
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Frosting
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup light cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 4-5 tbsp milk of choice
Topping
- 24 gummy worms
- 2 oreos, crushed, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small food processor, pulse oreos until they are all crumbled. Set aside until ready to use.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine room temperature unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat with the electric mixer until fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix again.
- Pour the dry ingredients to create cookie batter: black cocoa, all purpose flour, oreo crumbs, baking powder/soda, and salt. Mix until a very black, oreo cookie batter is made.
- Use a ½ tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop cookie dough into even balls. Roll with your hands and place cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are baked.
- Remove from the oven, allow 2-3 minutes of rest time on the sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- In a separate bowl (or stand mixer), add powdered sugar, light cocoa powder, and room temperature butter. Slowly start to beat it and gradually add the milk. Frosting will start to thicken as milk is added.
- Once it’s a luscious, thick chocolate frosting, spread onto each cookie. I used a spoon to do this, but you can also use a piping bag or ziploc bag to pipe on your frosting in a circular motion.
- Top cookies with a gummy worm and/or additional oreo cookie crumbs. Store in the refrigerator to harden frosting or in a cool, dry environment.
Nutrition
Notes
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If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Dirt Cake Cookies calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
these are incredibleeee. I love the chocolate on chocolate!
its giving Last Day of 3rd grade post field day party and im here for it
These were sooo good! My husband said maybe the best cookies I’ve ever made!
Spectacular no notes. I loved my super chilled
BETTER THAN CRUMBL
AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!
Just served these up to my family out of the fridge super chilled and they were gone within minutes.