When we meet Beatrice’s bluebird family in OVER THE GARDEN WALL, her mother continually reminds everyone to “eat some dirt,” even going so far as to spoon feed it to Wirt. It’s never explained why she fixates on this, though it could be a reference to the fact that some birds eat sand and grit to help grind up their food. I loved the idea of making pudding and Oreo dirt cups for my OTGW dessert, but of course I wanted to jazz it up a little bit!

Instead of topping the cups with gummy worms, I decided to decorate them with stuff from the show: gummy frogs and candy pumpkins! Originally I did chocolate rocks too, but I decided they made it all look too busy in the pictures (you can definitely add the chocolate rocks to yours though!). To make the top of the pudding cups look more like the forest floor of the Unknown, I added a bed of edible moss and some morel mushrooms sculpted from homemade marzipan! I got the idea for the moss from a cake I saw by Must Love Herbs (you should seriously check out all her cakes—they’re sooo beautiful!).

My kids loved these pudding cups! My son, a big marzipan fan, especially loved the mushrooms. These were so fun to make, and I love that all the decorations are little throwbacks to the show. Perfect for an OVER THE GARDEN WALL watch party!

 A

BEATRICE’S DIRT: Pudding Cups with Marzipan Mushrooms, Edible Moss, Frog Gummies, and Pumpkin Candies

“You’re awake! Here, eat some dirt.”

— OVER THE GARDEN WALL

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Makes 4 pudding cups

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE FILLING. Prepare pudding according to package instructions and set aside. Put Oreos in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside.
2. FOR THE EDIBLE MOSS. Finely crumble the cupcakes into a bowl. Add 5 drops green food coloring at different spots on the crumbles and thoroughly mix with a fork. Add more food coloring 1-2 drops at a time until desired color is reached. Cover and set aside.
3. FOR THE MARZIPAN MORELS. Pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the water, simple syrup, and almond extract. Process on low speed for about 2 minutes or until the mix forms a ball. Knead the ball on a surface dusted with powdered sugar for 1 minute. If mix is too dry and keeps cracking, sprinkle on water a little at a time and knead until mix doesn’t crack but isn’t wet or really sticky. To shape the mushrooms, first pinch off 0.5 oz marzipan and shape into a small ball (approx. 1 3/4 inches wide). Cut ball in half. Flatten 1 half into a 2-inch circle and shape the other into a 2-inch tall narrow pointed cone with a wide base. Place the circle over the top of the cone and flatten the sides of the circle against the cone (if the marzipan cracks, that’s ok. Just press it back together). Shape the dough until is the shape of the tall, narrow mushroom. Using a food brush or the corner of a paper towel, brush the mushroom cap with cocoa powder. Using the tip of a chopstick, poke holes into the mushroom cap (you could also use a toothpick and rotate the toothpick to widen the hole). Repeat until you have 4 morel mushrooms. You will probably have some marzipan left over.
   
   

   Step 1

   

   Step 2

   

   Step 3

   

   Step 4

4. FOR ASSEMBLY. In 4 9-oz clear plastic cups, layer 1/2 cup pudding, 3 Tbsp crushed Oreos, and 1/2 cup pudding again. Top each with 1-2 Tbsp green cupcake crumbles and spread until flat. Insert a toothpick about halfway through the bottom of each morel (this will help it stand better). Finish the top of each pudding cup with a marzipan morel, frog gummy, pumpkin candy.
5. Serve to Beatrice and her bluebird family as you travel through the Unknown in OVER THE GARDEN WALL!

   

A

A

If you like this recipe,
check out my recipe for
Pottsfield Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup!