Holly Jolly Dirt Cake

Here’s another no-bake adventure for kids who enjoy cooking. 

Little kids, if making this for an adult, like to pretend the cake really is dirt!

I’ve modified it as the quantity of sugar would have the ‘cooks’ standing on the table throwing the mix at each other and the amount of fat would add them to the list of ‘obese Americans.’

Let the kids participate to the degree least likely to cause chaos; you may prefer to allocate one small pot each instead of a single larger one.

Decorate with plastic holly or flowers according to season. Serve with a tiny trowel.

 Ingredients

8” new (or very clean) plant pot

1 ½ lbs. chocolate sandwich cookies

8 oz. fat free or lo-fat cream cheese

½ stick softened butter

2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding

3 ½ c. milk

12 oz. fat-free, sugar free (your call on this one!) Cool Whip or equivalent

½ c. powdered sugar

Gummi bears

Small sprig of artificial holly with berries/small plastic flowers
Miniature trowel

Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter

Mix milk and instant pudding. Let set for 2 minutes then stir in Cool Whip.

Combine the two mixtures

Place cookies in heavy plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin

Line plant pot with aluminum foil and cover the bottom with 1/12” crumbs. Layer the pot with crumbs and the pudding mixture, ending with the mixture.

Refrigerate for two hours.

Final stage: top with a last layer of crumbs and decorate.

© 2009 Jane Manaster. All Rights Reserved.