For Simeon’s 6th birthday we decided to have a backyard campout – just the guys. I had no idea what a fun birthday party it would be! Everyone had a great time and it turned out to be one of the easiest parties I have ever hosted! On the menu – hot dogs and a veggie tray for dinner. The guys roasted the dogs themselves over the open fire. Dessert was dirt and worms – a classic kid dessert that the kids had never tasted. Since we had a few guests with allergies I made a dairy free version as well as a regular version.
My original plan for the dairy free version was an avocado based pudding like this one but my avocados weren’t ripe enough so I had to abandon the plan and change recipes.
This almond milk version turned out beautifully. It would work for Paleo, THM and keto depending on the sweetener you choose.
- 14 oz unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin (I use the THM brand)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (I used stevia in one batch for my diabetic Dad, just sweeten to taste – a few doonks will do it)
- 1/4 cup allergy-free chocolate chips (omit if making sugar free this just makes it richer)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- In a small bowl, combine 3-4 tablespoons of the almond milk with the gelatin and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the rest of the almond milk with the remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and whisk in the gelatin mixture.
- Pour into serving dish and chill for several hours, or until thickened and creamy. May need to stir a couple times.
For the regular version I just used a healthy pudding mix like this one or this one. You can use any version you like.
The second part of the dessert is the “dirt” topping made from cake crumbles. Since I was in a hurry I used a mix. I wanted it to be healthy and allergy friendly so I used a recent discovery Simple Mills. It is a little more expensive then the regular boxed versions but totally worth it!
I just followed the box directions and voila!
The last part of the dessert is the gummy worms. I purchased some from our local Natural Grocers in bulk since I needed quite a few.
Assembly was easy – after making the pudding I put them in clear cups (if you make both versions, be sure and mark the DF ones so you don’t get confused) and let them cool in the refrigerator. As they set up I also let the cupcakes cool. Once everything was set and cooled I crumbled the cake and put a small amount on top of each pudding. Simeon helped with the worms – two in each cup.
They turned out perfectly! I love finding ways to make healthy versions of traditional treats.
