If you’re looking for a Halloween treat that’s both spooky and simple, Ghosts in the Graveyard Chocolate Pudding Cups are your go-to. Rich, whipped chocolate mousse sits under a layer of “dirt” made from crushed Oreos, topped with playful whipped‑cream ghosts and Milano cookie tombstones. Candy‑eye ghosts peek out from the creamy surface, making these cups a fun, festive dessert that’s easy enough for trick‑or‑treaters to help assemble—and deliciously decadent for party guests to enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
- Chocolate Mousse – The rich chocolate mousse here is made by combining pudding mix with water, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped cream. (You may recognize this ingredient combo if you’ve ever made this Easy Banana Cream Pie.) It’s definitely a step above plain old pudding! But you could certainly prepare them with regular chocolate pudding in a pinch.
- Milano Cookies – Any flavor will do here- pick your favorite!
- Edible Ink Marker – You can either write on your Milano headstones with an edible ink marker (find them on Amazon, or possibly craft stores where cake decorating supplies are sold), or a little melted chocolate in a zip-top bag with the corner cut off.
- Worms or Pumpkins- Gummy worms are optional, but always a fun addition to dirt cups like these. Candy pumpkins make a great decoration as well.
- Whipping Cream – This recipe calls for heavy whipping cream, which produces a thick, rich mousse and holds its shape well for decorating with ghosts.
- Candy Eyes – Find these on Amazon or at your local craft store if they carry cake decorating supplies, or seasonally by the sprinkles at your grocery store. They will likely either be in a shaker bottle like sprinkles or a blister pack, hanging with premade frosting tubes and candles. If you can’t find them, miniature chocolate chips would probably work well, too.
How to Make Ghosts in the Graveyard
- Start by blending the pudding, sweetened condensed milk, and water until smooth, then chill it in the fridge to set. When you’re ready, spoon the pudding into small clear cups or jars and pop them back in the fridge—you can even do this part a day ahead if you like.
- Next, crush some Oreos into crumbs to make that chocolatey “dirt” and sprinkle it over the top of each pudding cup. If you’re feeling extra fun, tuck a gummy worm or two into the pudding before adding the dirt.
- For the tombstones, write “R.I.P.” on Milano cookies with edible ink or melted chocolate and stick one in each cup.
- Finally, whip up some sweetened whipped cream until it holds nice peaks, pipe little swirls on top for ghosts, and give each one a pair of spooky candy eyes. That’s it—cute, festive, and totally delicious.
Storage & Other Tips
- Storage: Keep undecorated assembled cups covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. A large airtight container or a lined baking sheet sealed with plastic wrap works great.
- Decorations: To prevent sogginess, store cookie tombstones and ghosts separately and add them just before serving. Same goes for gummy worms—best added fresh so they stay chewy. Also, plan to sprinkle Oreo crumbs and construct the little graveyard just before guests arrive to keep that cookie “dirt” crisp.
- Make Ahead: You can make these ahead of time, just leave off all of the decorations and Oreo crumbs until right before serving. You can pipe out your ghosts 24 hours ahead of time by using this stabilized whipped cream recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I assemble these before serving?
You can prep the pudding and pipe the whipped-cream ghosts up to 24 hours ahead. If you are doing this, check out this recipe for stabilized whipped cream. Just keep everything covered and refrigerated, and add the Oreo “dirt” and cookie tombstones right before serving to keep them crisp.
Any tips for writing “R.I.P.” on the cookies?
Use melted chocolate in a piping bag with a tiny snip, or try edible-ink food markers if you have them. Write while the cookie is fully cooled, and let the chocolate set before moving the cookies.
What cups work best?
Opt for clear 6–8 oz cups—they’re the perfect size for showing off layers, and there’s enough space for the pudding, dirt, tombstone, and ghost.
Ghosts in the Graveyard Chocolate Pudding Cups
Rich and creamy chocolate pudding topped with Oreo “dirt,” piped whipped‑cream ghosts, and cookie tombstones, these Ghosts in the Graveyard Chocolate Pudding Cups are a fun, festive Halloween treat that’s easy to assemble and just as easy to devour.
Servings pudding cups
Equipment
Ingredients
Pudding Cups
- 1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided 1 pint
- 2 cups Oreo cookies crushed, about 24 Oreos
- 1 package Milano cookies any variety
Decorations
- Edible ink marker or ¼ cup chocolate chips mixed with 1 teaspoon canola oil, melted, and put in a Ziploc bag, with the tip cut off to make a piping bag
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Edible candy eyes find them in the cake decorating section of your grocery or craft store
- additional candy for decorating, such as gummy worms or candy pumpkins optional
- clear cups for serving we recommend 6 – 8 ounce cups
Instructions
Pudding
- In the jar pf a blender, combine water, sweetened condensed milk, and pudding mix. Blend until smooth, transfer mixture to a medium mixing bowl, and place in refrigerator.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of the heavy cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Remove the pudding mixture from the refrigerator and fold in the whipped cream until completely combined.
- Distribute the pudding mixture evenly among clear individual glass or plastic cups or jars. Place the pudding cups in the refrigerator. This step can be done up to 24 hours ahead of time.
- Note: If you'd like to whip your cream ahead of time as well, check out this recipe for Stabilized Whipped Cream.
Decorations
- Place roughly 20 – 24 Oreos in the jar of a blender and pulse until you have Oreo crumbs. (If your blender has a hard time, do 1 cup at a time.) Sprinkle over each pudding cup so it looks like dirt.
- Using the marker or melted chocolate (snip off a tiny corner of the bag), write “R.I.P.” on the top of each Milano cookie. Insert 1 Milano cookie into one side of each pudding cup.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and the powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form (be careful not to turn it into butter, but you want it to hold its shape).
- Transfer the whipped cream to a large Ziploc bag and cut off a corner so you have about a 1/2″ opening. Swirl the whipped cream on top of each pudding cup to make a ghost. Add two eyes to each ghost.
Notes
- If you are adding extras: layer gummy worms in the cups as you are filling them with pudding, or tuck one half way in the pudding before adding the Oreo dirt. Add pumpkins on top when you place the tombstones.
- Nutritional note: recipe nutrition was calculated without the use of the Milano cookie, as well as any extras, such as gummy worms, edible pumpkins, and so on. Just the pudding, Oreos, and whipped cream were calculated.
Nutrition
Serving: 8g, Calories: 403kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 175mg, Potassium: 151mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 876IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 5mg
Calories: 403kcal
Cost: $7
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Questions & Reviews
We have been making these during Halloween season for years, since you first posted it! Thanks for the great recipe!
YUM! Love these! I bookmarked the recipe to make for my son’s 2nd “bunny” themed party next month. Instead of the ghosts, I’ll put a strawberry dipped in orange melting candy to make it look like a carrot 😉 I was wondering though, how many servings is this?
I didn’t make the cups…I made 8 x 8 pan but my pudding isn’t hardening. I’m wonder if I did something wrong? Can it go in the freezer?
These are so adorable! What a great idea!
Super cute! I just figured out a few weeks ago that crushing oreos in a blender is WAY better than trying to do them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. It’s faster, easier, less messy, and makes way better crumbs.
I’m loving this recipe and the pudding actually looks appetizing to me. Regular pudding is just so…. bland. Boring.
I can’t bring in cute homemade goods to my daughter’s class, but I was thinking this could even be adapted with the pre-made (gross to me) pudding cups from the store. Just add the cookie and a ghost with store-bought frosting. Such a cute and adaptable idea. Of course, if the teacher will allow and you’re brave enough to assemble in class. Not sure if I’m up for the latter… 🙂
Thanks for always posting adorable Halloween (& other holiday) ideas for those of us who are not crafty and naturally talented at these things. I can still feel like a rockstar mom occasionally.
It was smooth sailing until I got to the ghost at the end. That kind of intimidates me! But if you promise there will be time for a nap, I’ll give it a go. 😉 Thanks for this fresh Halloween idea!
Peeps makes marshmallow ghosts that you can buy at the store! And, no artificial dyes in it 😉
What a cute cute idea! I think my two year old will love this!
I can totally see this with a gummy worm hanging out, too. = )
Very Cute! I shared a similar recipe on my blog, but it is zombie style! I would love it if you checked it out!
http://www.creativeandcurlyblog.com/2014/10/the-walking-dead-party-desserts.html
This is so adorable!
I was not very interested on this recipe when I read pudding, but I kept reading, and you got me at sweetened condensed milk! Ummm, this sounds like a simple delicious “chocolate mousse”! Now I need to go make it.
Exactly!! I’m not a huge fan of pudding, but this is SO yummy! 🙂