Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dirt 'n Worms

Dirt cake: Layers of chocolate or vanilla pudding with crushed Oreos
Best dirt cake: This recipe
Dirt 'n worms: Dirt cake (any way you make it) with gummy worms added

I still remember the first time I had dirt 'n worms. I was in preschool, and a classmate's mother brought clear plastic cups of it for everyone. Maybe it was a birthday or Halloween, but the details don't matter. What matters is that I was five years old, and my food had gummy worms in it! Since then, I've had a few different versions of this dessert, and the one I'm posting is hands down my favorite. The extra rich pudding mixture takes this from kid food to adult delicacy. My friend Chas is the original source for this recipe, and all I can do is say thanks. I owe you big!

(Displayed in the Trifle Bowl)

Dirt 'n Worms
chefjennylyn.com

Package of Oreos, finely chopped
2 small packs of vanilla pudding
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs. butter
16 oz. cool whip
Gummy worms


Chop cookies and set aside.
In LARGE bowl, combine softened cream cheese, butter, and sugar.
In a different bowl, combine pudding mix and milk and beat thoroughly.
Mix two combinations in the larger bowl, and beat.
Fold in Cool Whip
Layer pudding mixture with cookies and gummy worms in trifle bowl.


Ingredient #1: An entire package of Oreos. How did I make it through this without eating a single cookie? Well, I have obsessive tendencies, and I knew I could do stacks of three if I didn't ruin it by disturbing the cookie count. So it was either eat zero cookies, three cookies, six cookies, etc., and I opted for zero. Too much information about myself?

The Food Chopper really does make quick work of the cookie crushing, and it's also a great stress reliever. Place cookies in the base, and pound away! Then everything comes apart to go in the dishwasher. My chopper is on the Cutting Board, and my cookie crumbs are in a Small Batter Bowl.

If you don't have a bowl of these guys, don't call your recipe dirt 'n worms. It's not a problem, but you need to use the term "dirt cake." That said, always have a bowl of these guys; it's the right thing to do. My worms are in a 2-Cup Prep Bowl, and I've got milk in an Easy Read Measuring Cup in the background.

It's about to get good! Let the layering begin... The pudding mixture is in a Stainless Mixing Bowl with the Mix 'n Scraper, and it's going to be the first layer in the Trifle Bowl. Layers are as follows: pudding, Oreos, worms - repeat.

You don't have to get crazy with the worms. Just add them on top of each cookie layer, and then throw a few on top. Use as many or as few as you want, but add extra when serving to five-year-olds. Trust me.

The Trifle Bowl is one of my favorite products for many reasons, but I guess my favorite feature is its ability to go baseless. It locks on the base for presentation, but then it comes off for cleaning (hi, dishwasher) and storage. Also, how about that lid? This is all on top of the fact that it's a heavy glass bowl that won't chip and boasts a 20-cup capacity to handle all standard trifle recipes without spilling over. Need I say more?

Ok, it's October, and Halloween is around the corner. I know everyone will have kids' parties to attend and all kinds of things. This is a really simple dessert that comes together quickly and makes kids think they're eating something special. Plus, as proven my my friends and me at every event we had between the years 2002 and 2007, adults love it, too. Welcome to your new addiction.

Like the products you saw used?
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