Haunted Halloween Pudding Cups

Indulge in a spooky treat this Halloween with these decadent chocolate pudding cups haunted by white chocolate Medjool date ghosts. With a creamy dairy-free blended chia pudding base and chocolate granola “dirt”, this healthier holiday dessert will be a hit with kids and adults!

SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS

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Halloween is just a few days away, so I wanted to share one more spooky sweet non-candy treat that’s eerily easy to make and mysteriously more decadent than you would imagine based on the healthier ingredients we are using. First, my favorite blended chocolate chia pudding gets a fruit-sweetened twist made with Medjool dates (that makes it taste 10x more like brownie batter somehow!). Then, the typical dirt cup cookie crumbles are replaced by a granola “dirt” topping that contrasts the creamy pudding so deliciously. And finally, a fruity white chocolate ghost to top off each pudding cup, made with just 3 easy ingredients and no artistic skill required. I just love spooky-cute treat season!

How to Make Halloween Ghost Pudding Cups

The blender does most of the heavy lifting in this recipe, it’s really mostly just assembly after that. I’d recommend starting with the pudding since that part needs to chill overnight, leaving you plenty of time to create Medjool ghosties and granola dirt.

Creamy Dairy-Free Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe

Once you realize chia pudding doesn’t have to be chia-y, you’re never going to want to go back to the old non-blended version. This part of the recipe is yummy any time of year, not just Halloween. It’s easy and pretty hands off, but you do need to plan ahead so you have plenty of time to soak/soften the chia seeds and chill/thicken the pudding. You will need:

• Non-dairy milk. What kind is up to you, almond milk and light coconut milk are my go-tos for this recipe. Or even a mix of almond milk and full-fat coconut works great. Cashew would be super creamy and delicious. Or even dairy milk if that’s your style.
• Medjool dates. Medjool dates make an even yummier, even richer chia pudding than any liquid sweetener could ever compete with. You will need to blend them up pretty seriously to make sure your pudding texture is as smooth as can be, but if you use fresh, soft Medjool dates from Natural Delights that won’t be difficult. I always love how gooey and sweet their Medjools are, they never disappoint. I’ve been baking with them for years and will not buy any others.
• Cocoa powder. For that rich chocolatey taste, you could even use special dark or black cocoa to make this recipe extra halloween-y!
• Vanilla and salt. As any good chocolate recipe requires.
• Chia seeds. The no-cook thickener that makes this recipe so simple, and adds lots of good-for-you fiber too.

This pudding does require two blends: one with everything but the chia seeds to blend up the Medjool dates and create the chocolate milk mixture. And then one after the chia seeds have soaked overnight and are soft and easy to blend into a creamy pudding.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Granola “Dirt”

The crumbly crunchy dirt element of most dirt cup desserts is usually made from Oreo cookies, but I wanted to keep it a little less processed for this recipe. And granola makes a great cookie swap! You can use plain granola and add cocoa powder (that’s what I did) or use chocolate granola and skip the cocoa powder. You can use store-bought or homemade, just make sure it’s a very crunchy variety.

This step works best in a food processor, but a blender will work too in a pinch. If using a blender, I would recommend grinding up the granola and cocoa powder without the coconut oil first, and then tossing in the coconut oil by hand in a bowl. Otherwise it may all just get stuck on the sides of your blender and not move.

White Chocolate Medjool Date Ghosts

The cutest and easiest little ghosts you’ve ever seen with a gooey Medjool middle and simple candy eyes. You start with deliciously caramel-y Medjool dates from Natural Delights. Carefully remove the pit from each Medjool date with the smallest slit possible (or buy their already pitted variety!), then slice them in half into two little domes. Coat each half in a blanket of white chocolate, letting those natural ridges and ripples form to give each little ghost its own unique shape. Then carefully add the candy eyes (or mini chocolate chips!). You can even make a few extra ghosts, and enjoy them as their own sweet halloween candy-ish treat!

Tips and Tricks For Perfect Haunted Pudding Treats

1. Blend the chia pudding and divide it into cups a few hours before you plan on decorating and serving. Blending will warm up the chia pudding slightly, so you wanna give it time to chill as it tastes best cold.
2. Use tweezers to add the candy eyes without messing up the white chocolate. Also make sure the white chocolate is a little bit cool before you add the eyes, otherwise they might drip right off.
3. If your dirt gets a little bit too moist/clumpy when blending, you can add a spoonful of almond flour to absorb some of the moisture and get that perfect sandy texture.
4. Add gummy worms for an even sweeter Halloween pudding treat!

More Halloween Chocolate Treats You’ll Love

• Buckeye Eyeballs
• Homemade Kit Kat Bars
• Copycat 100 Grand Bars
• Homemade Butterfingers

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