This post is sponsored by Breakstone’s. Find their creamy cottage cheese and smooth sour cream at a retailer near you.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Classic dirt cups get a good-for-you makeover with a little extra protein in the ultra creamy pudding thanks to cottage cheese.
Spooky season has arrived and these Cottage Cheese Dirt Pudding Cups are a healthier take on the most nostalgic Halloween dessert. But don’t worry – no one will ever guess that these are healthier than your average dirt pudding cup! Breakstone’s cottage cheese blends up perfectly smooth in a food processor and creates an ultra creamy consistency.
Kids and adults alike will love them, especially if you let them build their own dirt cup creation with a selection of fun toppings like gummy worms, googly eyes, sprinkles, and candy pumpkins. My personal favorite is the graveyard styling with eyeball candies, sprinkles, pumpkins, and a gravestone made from a cookie with black ink that says “RIP” – what’s your favorite way to eat a dirt pudding cup?!
host a build-your-own
Dirt Cup Bar
Create a spooky setup with plenty of topping options that kids and adults alike will love!
Cottage Cheese FTW
Cottage cheese may be having a multi-year moment right now, but I’ve loved it for many more years as an easy and versatile way to hit my protein goals. Breakstone’s is made with high quality dairy and is the perfect choice for all your cottage cheese creations. As for the protein content, their 2% milk fat version boasts 13 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Cottage Cheese Dirt Pudding Cup recipe:
- Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese – Breakstone’s brings an almost cheesecake light flavor to the pudding that’s so delicious! 2% or 4% will work great in this recipe.
- Milk – Really cold dairy milk is what you need to get the instant pudding to set. I went with a fat free, ultra filtered one for maximum protein.
- Instant pudding mix – I like the sugar free option of instant pudding and went with a chocolate fudge flavor, although regular chocolate flavor will work too.
- Whipped topping – Grab a tub in the freezer aisle – I like the reduced fat option. Just be sure to thaw it out before folding it in, or you’ll end up with lumps and have to wait for it to thaw anyway.
- Instant espresso – This helps the chocolate flavor pop! There’s not enough here to hop kids up on caffeine (unless maybe if they ate the entire batch!), but if it makes you nervous, you can skip it.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies – You know the ones!
Want to see all my topping recommendations and get the links to everything? Check out my post about building your own dirt cup bar!
tips for making
Ultra Creamy Pudding
I found out when I was testing this recipe that the order of operations really matters when it comes to making the pudding for this recipe. I tried several different methods including: blending the cottage cheese and milk together, then whipping in the pudding mix; putting it all in the blender together; and going step by step.
While I really wanted to save some time by combining steps, I ended up with chunky pudding every time I tried. It’s critical to make the pudding and let it set up for 5 minutes first, then fold in the blended cottage cheese and whipped topping after the pudding has set.
There will still be some tiny pudding clumps left behind, but just let it rest overnight in the fridge and those will disappear when you stir it the next day, leaving behind the ultra creamy texture you want.
Shop for This Recipe
Cottage Cheese Dirt Pudding Cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups fat free ultra filtered milk, 24 fl oz
- 2 cups Breakstone's 2% Cottage Cheese, 16 fl oz
- 8 oz reduced fat whipped topping, thawed
- 2 3.9 oz boxes chocolate fudge flavored sugar free instant pudding mix
- 1 tsp instant espresso
- 20 chocolate sandwich cookies
Instructions
- Add 20 chocolate sandwich cookies to a large food processor and pulse until they reach desired consistency. Remove crushed cookies to a bowl and set aside.
- Shake cookie dust from food processor bowl (it doesn't have to be perfectly clean) and add 2 cups Breakstone's 2% Cottage Cheese and 1 tsp instant espresso. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Add cold 3 cups fat free ultra filtered milk to a large bowl, then add 2 3.9 oz boxes chocolate fudge flavored sugar free instant pudding mix. Beat with a large whisk or hand mixer for 2 minutes, then set aside to set up for 5 minutes.
- After the pudding has set, fold in the blended cottage cheese and 8 oz reduced fat whipped topping, thawed. Divide into serving dishes and top with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and any desired candies like gummy worms and sprinkles.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
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