Dirt Cake Cookies

These dirt cake cookies are chewy chocolate Oreo cookies topped with chocolate frosting, Oreo crumbs, and a gummy worm! They bring all of the flavor and fun of classic dirt cake in dirt cookies! They are a favorite treat for a reason.

These dirt cake cookies use homemade chocolate cookies with Oreo crumbs as the perfect base for the chocolate frosting and gummy worms. These are the perfect cookies for family reunions of birthday parties with kids. They are simple to make, so you don't have to spend all day to bake dessert, too!

For other Oreo desserts, try Oreo Cheesecake, Oreo Brownies, and Oreo Donuts.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredient Notes
• Step By Step Instructions - Dirt Cake Cookies
• Step By Step Instructions - Chocolate Frosting and Worms
• Expert Baking Tips
• FAQ
• Storing and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

• Dirt cake- Classic dirt cake is popular for the great flavor and the fun of eating worms in dirt! These cookies deliver all of that flavor and fun in a more convenient cookie form!
• Chocolate flavor- These cookies have a rich chocolate flavor throughout the cookies and the frosting. They are perfect for chocolate lovers!
• Chewy cookies- The chewy chocolate cookie base goes great with the creamy chocolate frosting.
• Oreo dirt- The Oreo cookie crumbs make a delicious dirt for your worms to dig in!
• Easy recipe- This cookie recipe is as easy as it is delicious!

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Unsweetened cocoa powder- I recommend using a dutch process cocoa powder for a more rich chocolate flavor. This is the one I used.
• Unsalted butter- Melt this before you need it so it can cool before use.
• Brown sugar- I used light brown sugar for this, but dark will work as well.
• Eggs- Pull these out 2 hours before baking to get it to room temperature.
• Oreos- Use regular Oreos rather than double stuff as that would add extra moisture to the recipe. Stick to chocolate Oreos for the brown dirt color.
• Powdered sugar- Be sure to sift this before use to prevent gritty frosting.

Step By Step Instructions - Dirt Cake Cookies

Here is how to make and bake these dirt cake cookies. This recipes uses an electric mixer. A stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer will work.

STEP 1: Dry ingredients. Use a food processor to blend the medium and small Oreo pieces, then blend the Oreo crumbs. Set them aside and get a medium bowl. Sift the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt together.

STEP 2: Beat butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the room temperature melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on high speed for 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Combine. Add the vanilla extract and eggs to the butter mixture. Mix them in on medium speed until just combined. Then, add the flour mixture and mix it in on low speed until just combined. Lastly, add the Oreo pieces and Oreo crumbs and mix them until just combined.

STEP 4: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Meanwhile, let the dough rest for 10 minutes to reduce spreading.

STEP 5: Scoop. Scoop 6 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet using a large cookie scoop (2 tablespoon or 2 oz).

STEP 6: Bake. Bake 1 baking sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes.

STEP 7: Cool. Let the cookies cool in the hot pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Make sure the cookies cool completely before decorating them.

Step By Step Instructions - Chocolate Frosting and Worms

Here is how to make the chocolate frosting and decorate these dirt cake cookies.

STEP 1: Beat butter. Beat the butter with your mixer on high speed for 3 minutes.

STEP 2: Dry ingredients. Add the sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Mix them on low speed until combined.

STEP 3: Combine. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Beat the frosting until it is smooth and creamy.

STEP 4: Top cookies. Use a small cookie scoop (1TBSP or 1 oz) to scoop frosting on top of each cookie. Spread the frosting using an offset spatula. Add a sprinkle of Oreo crumbs and a gummy worm on top of the crushed cookies to complete the look.

Expert Baking Tips

• Properly measure your flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour giving you too much flour. Compacted flour can cause the cookies to not spread.
• If the cookies are spreading, make sure you are using parchment paper on the cookie sheet. If they are still spreading too much this could be the butter was too warm before adding the ingredients. If it still spreads too much, you chill the cookie dough balls for 10-15 minutes.
• If you live at high altitude, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour. This will help with the spread.
• The cookies should be slightly underdone, because they will continue to cook as they cool. This helps to make sure they have chewy centers.

FAQ

Storing and Freezing

Store the dirt cake cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container up to 5 days. Chilling them first to set the frosting can help reduce the frosting getting squished and making a mess.

Freezing

Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container, such as a freezer bag, and freeze up to 30 days. Thaw for 1-2 hours before eating. Freeze them on a cookie sheet or similar before stacking them in a freezer bag to prevent the frosting from squishing and making a mess.

Other Cookie Recipes To Try

Make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.

📖 Recipe