Healthier Dairy-Free Dirt Pudding with Strawberry Ghosts

Who doesn’t love DIRT PUDDING?! This recipe is made vegan and dairy-free using avocados, cocoa powder, maple syrup and non-dairy milk. And we’re topping them off with STRAWBERRY GHOSTS! This recipe is paleo-friendly and vegan-friendly using your favorite candies and vegan white chocolate. 

This post is sponsored in partnership with California Giant Berry Farms. All opinions expressed, as always, are my own. Thank you for your support as I partner with brands that help make Fit Mitten Kitchen possible!

It’s funny because as an adult, I’m kind of like “meh” about October. But growing up I always loved it. I mean, what kid doesn’t love October? Also known as the month of Halloween, playing dress up in school and eating way too much candy.

I grew up in a household where we decorated for Halloween as much as we did for Christmas. I kid you not, we had so many halloween lights outside our house (and inside…) that one would think we were decorating for Christmas early if it weren’t for the festive Halloween colors of black, orange, purple and green.

I remember being younger and loving when my mom got the Halloween decorations out. She had all sorts of decor. My favorite were the little Eddie Walker figurines. Does anyone know what I am talking about? Quite possibly not… They were cute little handmade, hand-painted figures. We had loads of them. Cute little shapes that spelled out “HALLOWEEN” – I give full credit to that Eddie Walker set for helping me learn how to spell that giant word at a young age.

My mom was also one for making all of our costumes. We’d head to Jo-Ann Fabrics to flip through their Halloween costume pattern books, select a costume, pick out fabrics, etc. Super fun but I look back on those days and wonder how the heck my mom made all of our costumes?! Any given year she was making at least three costumes. I mean, I know how to sew–thanks Mom and fashion degree–but the chances of me sewing and making any halloween costumes myself are slim.

Another fun memory of Halloween I have was the fun parties in high school. Not *those* kinds of parties. I was fairly innocent, thankyouverymuch. I’m talking about the parties the parents helped throw with all of the fun games, hay rides (maybe that’s just a Midwest small town thing?) homemade haunted houses and creepy, spooky treats.

So in the spirit of October and Halloween coming up, Friday the 13th seems like the perfect excuse to get back into the Halloween spirit as an adult.

With that I share

Dairy-Free Dirt Pudding with Strawberry Ghosts

I mean, honestly how fun are these!? The 10 year old in me is allll about this festive dessert. Dirt pudding was probably one of my favorite halloween treats – I swear someone’s parents brought them in for the Halloween school snack at least once a year.

And then you add strawberry ghosts on top of that?! SOLD.

We’re using strawberries from my friends over at California Giant Berry Farms – seriously the biggest, best berries there are. They are PERFECT for chocolate dipping.

I have been loving working as a California Giant Berry Farms Ambassador this year. It’s been so fun to learn more about the farmers and how we get our berries. It’s not something we always think about when we go grocery shopping, but there are real people and families behind these companies that help supply our own families with fresh produce!

And California Giant has the cutest Halloween eBook, with all these different ways to make berries into fun, spooky treats. It gave me the idea for topping off the dirt pudding with the fun strawberry ghosts. You can also download the their “Scary Berries” book – super cute! Not to mention dipped strawberries are a fun, healthy way to enjoy some Halloween treats!

WHAT YOU NEED for the pudding

ripe avocados

unsweetened cocoa powder 

maple syrup (or honey)

non-dairy milk

vanilla

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE TOPPINGS

white chocolate

strawberries

chocolate sandwich cream cookies (gluten-free if needed or choose a grain-free paleo crunchy cookie)

gummy worms

pumpkin candies 

WHAT YOU DO

The dirt pudding is as simple as throwing all of your ingredients into a small blender or food processor. This recipe makes enough for 2 cups, which can easily be doubled if serving a large crowd. Or find little shot glass cups and make miniature dirt pudding cups.

The strawberry ghosts are just dipped in melted white chocolate, and then I used a toothpick and melted dark chocolate to dot the eyes and mouth. Don’t worry about them looking too perfect – the more mis-shaped the eyes and mouth the more spooky 😉 …Also may just me reminding my perfectionist self to cool it. 

The toppings are just crushed/processed chocolate cream sandwich cookies, gummy worms (I bought these delicious organic ones), pumpkin patch candies and of course strawberry ghosts. If working with food allergies just be careful with the cookie ingredients and candy toppings. 

These are seriously too fun and the perfect spooky treat for both kids and adults this Halloween 🙂

I hope you enjoy!

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• Author: Ashley
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

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Description

 

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Ingredients

Dirt Pudding:

• 4 ripe medium avocados, pitted and fleshed
• 1/2 cup maple syrup* (or honey)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used cashew)
• 8 chocolate cream sandwich cookies** (dairy-free or gluten-free if needed)

Strawberry Ghosts:

• 1 quart strawberries, washed and dried – keep stems
• 10 oz dairy-free white chocolate
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 TBS dairy-free dark chocolate chips
• toothpick
• baking sheet and parchment paper or silicone

Extra Toppings:

• gummy worms
• pumpkin candies

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Instructions

Lay out all ingredients needed, including jars and toppings for easy assembly. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat; set aside. Read through all instructions first before starting. 

1. Make the Dirt Pudding:
   • In a small food processor bowl or blender cup add avocado, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and milk. Blend ingredients until smooth – you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl or cup a couple of times with a spatula. 
   • Evenly disperse dirt pudding into 6 jars or cups – use 2oz plastic shooter glasses if serving a crowd.
   • Rinse and wipe clean the pudding blender cup.
   • Process chocolate cream sandwich cookies for “dirt”. Once the cookies have processed into crumbs, evenly distribute on top of pudding. 
2. Make the strawberry ghosts:
   • Melt white chocolate and coconut oil in medium microwave-safe bowl on half power, about 15 second increments stirring in between until chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.
   • Melt the dark chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl in 10 second increments stirring in between until fully melted. 
   • Carefully dip the strawberries into the bowl of white chocolate until fully covered, then lay on lined baking sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of the strawberries.
   • Once white chocolate has dried, dip toothpick into dark chocolate and dot on eyes and mouth. Let dry completely, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Add toppings to dirt pudding:
   • Add gummy worms, pumpkin candies, strawberry ghosts and other spooky candies you’d like to the dirt pudding. 
   • Store in fridge until ready to serve
   • Enjoy these spooky treats! 

Notes

*May sub honey, or even half honey-half maple syrup. If you’re not a fan of maple syrup, I would go for agave or honey and adjust measurement to desired sweetness.

**If looking for paleo option, try these.

Pudding recipe slightly adapted from Avocado Chocolate Fruit Dip.

SOME OF THE PRODUCTS I USED IN TODAY’S RECIPE

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