Dessert, Candy Worms and Chaos: Making Graveyard Pudding with My Grandsons. Plus a FREE Halloween story for everyone! by Ang Pompano

ANG POMPANO: I don’t know about where you live, but here in Connecticut, Halloween has become a major holiday. Some folks go all out, decorating almost as much as they do for Christmas but with orange and purple lights and those nine-foot-tall skeletons towering over the lawn!

Ironically, traditional trick-or-treating has mostly given way to parties. But that’s fine by me. It just gives my grandsons and me an excuse to get into a little culinary mischief making party treats. In that spirit, today’s “recipe” is really more of a fun spooky project: the classic Graveyard Pudding. The boys helped me whip up a batch, and I have to admit, it was equal parts dessert and chaos—but that was all part of the fun!

So here’s how we built our Graveyard Pudding Cups, complete with tombstones, candy worms, and crumbling “dirt,” using nothing more than some pudding, some cookies, and a bit of Halloween candy.

And as a special Halloween treat, everyone who visits the blog today can download a free copy of my kid-friendly spooky story, “Liver Man.”

Ingredients

1 package Oreo cookies
1 pack of chocolate pudding (instant or regular)
Milano cookies or any cookie shaped like a tombstone
Black icing writer
Candy pumpkins
Gummy worms
Marshmallows (for creepy peepers)
Four 9 oz. clear cups

Instructions

Make the tombstones: 

Use the black icing writer to write “RIP” on each cookie.

Create the creepy eyes: 

Dot “eyeballs” on the marshmallows with the icing writer.

Prepare the pudding: 

Make one pack of pudding according to the package directions. (We used regular pudding since the boys don’t eat artificial sweeteners. I chose instant so they could do every step themselves—no mixer or stove needed!)

Make the dirt: 

Crush the Oreos into fine crumbs. Sure, you could use a food processor. But where’s the fun in that? I gave the boys rolling pins and eight cookies each in a plastic bag and said, “Crush ’em!” They had a grand time.

Assemble the cups and decorate:

Sprinkle a layer of cookie crumbs into the bottom of each clear cup.

Add a few gummy worms along the sides so they’re visible.

Spoon in a layer of pudding.

Repeat the layers, ending with a generous topping of cookie “dirt.”

Press in your tombstone cookie, a candy pumpkin, a few gummy worms, and the creepy marshmallow eyes. and you’re done—spooky, sweet, and ready to serve!

Our finished Graveyard Pudding Cups—proof that a little chocolate “dirt” goes a long way toward Halloween fun!

Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party, hanging out with the family, or sneaking a few extra gummy worms when no one’s looking, I hope these Graveyard Pudding Cups bring as many laughs to your kitchen as they did to ours.

Have a spooky, fun, and safe Halloween—and don’t forget to grab your free copy of “Liver Man” before you head out!—Ang

To download your free copy of my kid-friendly Halloween Story "Liver Man" click HERE.

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher and blogger. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He blogs about food on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs.

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 Every year the Best New England Crime Stories anthology brings welcome surprises and satisfactions from the best mystery authors in New England, and this year is no different. Snakeberry—Welcome to crime in 2025.