i have made this before but without confectioners' sugar and i mix my milk and pudding before adding the cool whip (otherwise the pudding mix lumps up)...Variations of this are a Halloween dirk cake: use Nilla wafers to make tomb stones and write on them with decorating gel, orange food coloring for cream mix, marshmellow ghosts and so on...Chrismtas dirk cake: use mint flavored oreos, use a glass dish for serving and line the sides with 2 inch candy canes, crush candy canes and sprinkle on top layer, marshmellos make perfect snowmen

This recipe was okay but could use a couple of tweaks, which is why I rated it three stars. I followed the instructions, but I halved the recipe because other reviewers stated it made a lot. There were WAYYYY too many cookie crumbs and it was sickeningly sweet ( and I'm not usually one to complain about sweetness). Anyways, I recommend using half the cookies. Also, try using chocolate pudding, as this is how "real" dirt cake should be made. Forget about the butter all together, you don't need it for taste at all. All it does is give the cream cheese a thinner consistency once its blended in. So to achieve that, just throw in 2 extra tablespoons of milk instead of the butter. You should also omit the powdered sugar unless you want your cake to be extremely sweet . The pudding and whipped topping are sweet enough by themselves. adding the plain cream cheese balances the taste of the pudding mixture and gives it the perfect sweetness. It's a bummer when you try a recipe with great ratings and end up disappointed with the results. I hope this review helps. (no offense to who-ever submitted the recipe, just giving my honest opinion :)

I made these for my daughter's kindergarten class and they turned out great - and tasty! We made this in individual plastic cups for each child and placed a worm in each one. My daughter made paper flowers out of construction paper and we taped them on the handles of green plastic spoons. Then we stuck the spoons down into the dirt, so the flower did double duty as the spoon. I can't wait for the occasion to make them again. UPDATE - We made these for her Halloween party and set Marshmallow (Peeps brand) ghosts on top. The kids loved them!

I made this dirt cake for a friend's birthday & he thought I was bringing him a plant as I had a bunch of silk sunflowers stuck in the top. I also added gummy worms, some hung over the side and others coming out of the dirt(cookie crumbs). I used about 5 gummy worms. This time I am going to put some in the mixture between layers. It was a big hit. My pot measured 7" deep by 9" across, a little narrower on the botton, perfect size.

I have been making this for years! I always get compliments and everyone always asks for the recipe! No one ever knows that you can eat it until i go over and spoon it out! I use 2 tubs of cool whip no sugar 3tbs butter/margeine and a larger flower pot! And i only use Oreo's. The other cookies don't give it the best flavor. For pool and beach theme parties i use the opposite. Vanilla cookies and chocolate pudding. To make it look like sand. I use shells on top (you can buy in any craft store)in a sand bucket with a shovel! But the dirt way is the best way!

Yum! I left the butter out when I made this- it just didn't seem necessary. The first time I made it I put it in a galvanized flower pot with artificial flowers and gummy worms on top. The second time I did it for a Halloween party and put it in a wide-rimmed glass bowl. I did a whole graveyard scene on top with Milano cookies as gravemarkers with RIP written in black frosting.

This is great as is! For a summer version of Sand use Golden Sandwich Cookies.

loved it! I used an 8 inch plastic flower pot. Came out perfect. The pot has holes inside so I lined the inside with aluminum foil. The best way to do so is to turn the pot upside down place the foil on top and press it to take the shape of the bottom of the pot. Remove the foil and turn the pot right side up and place the pot shaped foil inside...Also I made my own whipped cream to not make it too sweet and still came out really sweet.Next time I will not add any sugar in the whipped cream. But really delicious everyone was surprised! Update 06/16/2008: It's been three yrs now that I make this cake for father's day. This time I used chocolate pudding and added no sugar to the cream that I whipped. My mom did not like the salty taste from the cheese and did not care for the sandy texture of the oreos inside so I used mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese and soaked the oreo cookies for a couple seconds in milk and added them whole to make the layers. I only crumbled some for the top for the dirt effect. What an improvement! So creamy and delish! My mom loooved it yippy!! From now on I will only use mascarpone for this recipe! And kep the cookies whole(about 2 pkgs of cookies.)

I made this on Saturday and served Sunday for Father's Day (for husband & father in-law). My father in-law was shocked and made a face when I brought the flower pot with fake flowers and a few gummy worms sticking out! It was hilarious!!! I put a big tag on the flowers reading "Happy Fathers Day Dad & Opa." It was a very deliscious dessert and EVERYONE at the table requested for me to make it again some time! I did the recipe exactly. A very FUN and easy recipe. Very light-tasting yet rich tasting with the Oreo's. A real keeper!!!