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    Home » Recipes » Chocolate Desserts

    Dirt Cake Cookies

    Published: Jun 27, 2025 by Karin and Ken · This post may contain affiliate links. Leave a Comment

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    If you’ve ever had a traditional dirt cake dessert, I highly recommend these Dirt Cake Cookies. They are both delicious and super cute! It’s a homemade recipe for rich cocoa cookies and a sweet, indulgent frosting. I add Oreos in the cookie dough to tie in the flavors with the crumb “dirt” used on top. It’s one of my top desserts to make with cookie crumbs.

    One dirt cake cookie being held up in the air.

    The cookie has a lovely chewy texture that almost reminds me of a brownie. Paired with thick and creamy frosting and crumbled cookies, it’s like a chocolate overload with every bite. It’s such a fun presentation with the gummy worms as well. They make the perfect Halloween treat.

    If you like fun dirt cake recipes, you will love this Oreo dirt pie and my boozy dirt cake with whiskey caramel sauce.

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Variations
    • How to Make Dirt Cake Cookies 
    • Recipe Tips
    • Storage Directions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Delicious Cookie Recipes
    • Dirt Cake Cookies

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • It’s a great Crumbl copycat: if you’ve tried the Crumbl dirt cake cookie, this one is inspired by it. Typically, it’s part of the lineup for Crumbl Halloween cookies, so it’s often seasonal. With a homemade recipe like this, you can make it any time you want.
    • It’s completely from scratch: Both the cookie dough and the chocolate frosting are from scratch. So, you can taste the effort that’s put into it. I love homemade desserts like this one. 
    • It’s fun for Halloween: Of course, you can make these for Halloween if you like! The gummy worms and cookie dirt give it that gross factor that would fit right in with other Halloween treats.

    Ingredients

    Below are all of the components needed for the cookies and chocolate frosting. I separated them to make it super easy to understand!

    Ingredients on the table to make dirt cake cookies with text labels on them to identify each one.
    • Butter: I use salted butter for the cookies and frosting in this recipe, but you may use unsalted instead. If you choose to, add about ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients. Also, it must be softened, so I like to leave it on the counter for 30-60 minutes before I get started.
    • Sugar: The combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar results in a perfectly chewy cookie, and that’s exactly what you get here. It has a soft texture in the middle, while the edges are a little less soft but not quite crunchy. You also need powdered sugar for the frosting because it combines seamlessly with the other ingredients without affecting the texture. It keeps it nice and silky smooth!
    • Egg: I only use one egg in this cookie dough. It provides plenty of moisture, flavor, and structure to these Oreo dirt cake cookies.
    • Oreos: Classic Oreos are perfect here. They have the perfect amount of cream in the middle and add a subtle crunch to the cookies. I like to pulse the cookies in the food processor to get a mixture of fine and slightly coarse crumbs.
    • Cocoa powder: This is how you get that rich chocolatey flavor in the cookie dough and frosting. It’s simple and doesn’t make the cookies too sweet.

    See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

    Variations

    • Mint: Swap the vanilla extract for mint and use mint Oreo cookies to change up the flavor profile.
    • Coffee: Trade a little cocoa powder in the cookie dough for some espresso powder to give them a rich coffee flavor.
    • Peanut butter: Fold some peanut butter into the frosting to add a hint of saltiness.

    How to Make Dirt Cake Cookies 

    Here are the instructions needed to make these dirt cake gummy worm cookies. I recommend preheating the oven to 350 degrees F when you take the dough out of the refrigerator. I also like to whip the frosting up when the cookies are cooling, so it’s ready!

    Softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.

    Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar. Add the softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat them with a hand mixer until they are fully combined and smooth.


    Egg and vanilla extract added to the mixture.

    Step 2: Add egg and vanilla. Beat the egg and vanilla extract until they are fully mixed with the butter and sugars.

    Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and crushed oreos whisked with the wet mixture.

    Step 3: Stir in dry ingredients and chill. Pour in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and crushed Oreos. Whisk them with the wet mixture until you don’t see any pockets of flour and a soft dough forms. Then, cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

    The dough formed into balls on a cookie sheet.

    Step 4: Divide the dough. Scoop the dough and place it onto the greased cookie sheet, with 2 inches of space between each dirt cake cookie.

    Cookies baked and cooling on a cookie sheet.

    Step 5: Bake and cool. Stick the pan in the oven and bake the cookies for about 12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack for another 30 minutes.

    Cookies decorated with crushed oreos, and a gummy worm.

    Step 6: Frost and decorate the cookies. Frost each cookie and top it with crushed Oreos, and a gummy worm. Enjoy any time or as a Halloween treat with some candy corn fudge, and Halloween spider donuts. 

    Recipe Tips

    • Crush the Oreos with a rolling pin: If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry! Place the Oreo cookies in a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin instead. It works just as well.
    • Add gummy worms before serving: If I’m not serving this right away, I skip the gummy worms. They take on a weird texture when refrigerated, so they are best added right before you’re going to enjoy them.
    • Frost the cookies when cooled: Ensure the cookies are cooled completely, even if it takes longer than the time suggested in the recipe. Warm cookies will melt the frosting.

    If you love recipes like this rich chocolate cookie, you may also enjoy these sea salt dark chocolate cookies.

    A cookie with oreo topping and a gummy worm.

    Storage Directions

    • Storing: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze them with or without frosting for up to 2 months.
    • Make Ahead: The cookie dough needs some chilling time in the refrigerator, so sometimes I like to make it a few hours up to 1 day before I plan to bake and serve them. It saves steps later!

    Serving Suggestions

    • Serve these cookies with a scoop of ice cream for the ultimate dessert! Red velvet ice cream and strawberry crunch ice cream are some of my favorite homemade varieties, but classic store-bought vanilla is also a good choice.
    • Enjoy a fun, sweet beverage like an apple cider float with your cookie.
    Multiple dirt cake cookies stacked on a table with a gummy worm in the center.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I skip refrigerating the cookie dough?

    I don’t recommend it because this helps keep the cookie dough from spreading too much in the oven. They will not turn out the same if you put the cookies directly in the oven after you make the dough.

    Can I freeze the raw cookie dough?

    Sure! You can scoop the balls, flash freeze them on a baking tray, and then transfer to a bag or or together with parchment paper in between layers. Add a few minutes to the baking time and make the frosting fresh!

    Why is the shelf life longer at room temperature than in the fridge?

    The refrigerator will dry out the cookies much faster, so they will keep fresh longer on the counter.

    A plate full of dirt cake cookies with gummy worm on top.

    More Delicious Cookie Recipes

    Do you like baking homemade cookies? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.

    • Costco chocolate chunk cookies on a wire rack.
      The Ultimate Costco Chocolate Chunk Cookies
    • Maple Cookies with Brown Sugar
    • White Chocolate Coconut Cookies
    • A oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookie on a wood spatula held in the air.
      Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

    If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section, I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!

    Dirt cake cookie with a worm in the center held up by a hand.

    Dirt Cake Cookies

    Karin and Ken
    These Dirt Cake Cookies are a chocolatey dessert that is decorated to look like real dirt and worms. They’re entirely from scratch, including the frosting.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Chill Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 57 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 499 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Cookie Ingredients

    • ¾ cup salted butter softened
    • ¾ cup light brown sugar
    • ½ cup white granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup crushed Oreos
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda

    Frosting Ingredients

    • ½ cup salted butter softened
    • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 12 gummy worms
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the softened butter, white granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and homogenous.
    • Add the egg and vanilla. Cream again until the egg is fully incorporated with the creamed butter.
    • Add the flour, crushed Oreos, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no pockets of Oreo or flour remain in the cookie dough. Cover your cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    • Use a number cookie scoop to drop balls of cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Space them about 2 inches apart. Bake your cookies for 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then on the counter for another 25-30 minutes.
    • While your cookies are cooling, prepare your frosting by whisking together the softened butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar.
    • Use a piping bag or spatula to frost your cookies and then top them with a spoonful of crushed Oreo as well as a gummy worm. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days on the kitchen counter.
    • Ensure that you chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven.
    • Place the Oreos into a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 300mgPotassium: 142mgFiber: 2gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 611IUCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword crumbl dirt cake cookie, dirt cake cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Welcome!

    We are the kitchen divas: Karin and my partner in life, Ken.

    We have been attached at the heart and hip since the first day we met, and we love to create new dishes to keep things interesting. Variety is definitely the spice of life!

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