Springtime Dirt Cake Serves 12 to 15 More fun than mud pies and tastier than ordinary cake--that's DIRT cake! It begins and ends with ground Oreo crumbs, so you know it's a winner! The cake is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. For added flair, "build" the cake in a terra-cotta pot and "plant some tulips in the dirt" by inserting real or artificial tulips. (Please wrap their stems in plastic wrap.) You could also assemble the dirt cake in a new 5-gallon plastic sand pail with gummi (candy) worms for decoration. IMPORTANT: If you use a terra-cotta pot, sterilize the pot by placing it in the oven at 350° for two to three hours. Be sure to avoid using any pot that has been glazed. What you need: 2 sixteen-ounce packages Oreo cookies 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 4 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding 4 3/4 cups milk 1 sixteen-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed Candy or flowers for garnish (optional) What you do: 1. If using a flowerpot with a drainage hole, reserve 1 cookie to place over hole to prevent leaking. Place remaining cookies in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until mixture resembles dirt. (You can use a blender or other method to reduce the cookies to crumbs if you don't have a food processor. ) 2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter, and stir until creamy. Set aside. 3. In another large bowl, whisk together instant-pudding mixes and milk; stir until well blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold pudding mixture into cream-cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. 4. In a flowerpot or bucket with a 5-quart capacity, alternate layers of cookie "dirt" and pudding mixture, starting and ending with cookie "dirt." 5. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with candy or flowers before serving. Enjoy! Copyright 2000 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form