These Dirt Cupcakes with Gummy Worms are made up of chocolate cake mix, topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting and Oreo cookie crumbs. They're perfect for any holiday or occasion, like Halloween or even summer parties!
1/2cupbuttersoftened. If you're using unsalted add in 1/4 teaspoon salt
8ouncecream cheesesoftened
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2cupspowdered sugar
½cupcocoa Powder
Toppings
15Oreoscrushed
1baggummy worms
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two muffin pans with desired paper liners. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, prepare the cake mix as per the box instructions and make sure not to overmix.
Spoon the cupcake batter into the liners, filling only ⅔ of the way full (about 3 tablespoons). Then place in the oven and bake as per box instructions, about 14-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before decorating.
Frosting
Melt the milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate with a spoon and place it back in the microwave for another 15 seconds if needed, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to overdo it, as the chocolate will burn.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, place cream cheese and butter into a large bowl and mix on medium speed until there are no more lumps and the mixture is creamy. Add the remaining ingredients in intervals mixing in between each addition. (Melted chocolate, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla.) Set aside.
Toppings
Place the Oreos into a food processor and pulse until you get Oreo cookie crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a Ziploc bag and rolling pin to crush the Oreo cookies. Pour the Oreo cookie crumbs into a bowl and set it aside.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, they're ready to decorate. You can either spread the frosting with a spatula or use a piping bag. We used a piping bag with a 1M piping tip from Wilton. The large open star. After topping the cupcakes you can place a teaspoon full of Oreo "dirt" onto your cupcakes. Then add the gummy worms on top as a hole or half of a gummy worm.
Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Just take them out of the refrigerator 15-20 minutes prior to serving.