How to Make 3-Ingredient Cool Whip Candy (2024)

When I heard there was a recipe for copycat 3 Musketeers bars, I expected to find a complicated method with lots of ingredients—but this recipe is the complete opposite. This recipe for Cool Whip candy has only three ingredients. (Get it? Three ingredients, 3 Musketeers…it makes sense!)

I was skeptical about whether such a simple recipe would taste like a classic 3 Musketeers bar. To make the candy, milk chocolate is blended with Cool Whip to make a creamy and very sweet filling. And incredibly, it really does taste just like the fluffy center of that candy bar.

The filling sets up in the freezer just enough that it can be sliced into pieces and covered in more chocolate. This recipe is a fun one to make for your kids—or anyone with a major sweet tooth.

Find more of our copycat candy bar recipes.

How to Make 3-Ingredient Cool Whip Candy

Be sure your Cool Whip has time to thaw before you begin. This recipe needs about 2 hours of chilling time and makes 32 pieces of candy.

Ingredients

• 6 cups milk chocolate chips, divided
• 8-ounce container Cool Whip topping, thawed
• 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Tools You’ll Need

• Mixing Bowl: Choose one that’s microwave-safe, like this bowl our Test Kitchen cooks use.
• Hand Mixer: The candy mixture comes together fast with a hand mixer. Our test cooks love this cordless KitchenAid model because they can use the mixer anywhere.
• 8×8-in. Pan: The straight sides on this pan make for tidy pieces of candy.

Directions

Step 1: Melt chocolate chips

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Pour 3-1/2 cups of the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave the chips in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until the chocolate is just melted and smooth. (Be careful not to overheat the chocolate as it could ruin the texture.)

Editor’s Tip: Our Test Kitchen pros tasted their way through eight brands to find the best chocolate chips. Check out their favorites.

Step 2: Add Cool Whip

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Scoop the Cool Whip into the bowl with the chocolate. Blend the two together using a hand mixer at medium speed. (You can also stir it by hand, but the mixture will be smoother and more thoroughly combined using a mixer.)

Step 3: Press chocolate into pan

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Line an 8×8-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Scoop the chocolate mixture into the lined pan and press it into an even layer. It helps to lay a piece of waxed paper over the top to press it into place, as the mixture is pretty thick and sticky. Cover the pan and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Slice into pieces

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Use the plastic wrap to lift the candy slab from the pan. Flip it over onto a cutting board, then peel off the plastic wrap.

Use a sharp knife to cut the slab into pieces. I did this by slicing it first into 16 squares, then cutting each of these in half to make 32 rectangular pieces.

Place the pieces on a baking sheet or tray lined with waxed paper, and place them in the freezer for another 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: The candy will get sticky as you cut. If the knife gets too gunky, pause partway through to wash it off, dry it well and continue.

Step 5: Make chocolate coating

Place the remaining 2-1/2 cups of chocolate chips and the vegetable shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl. Zap it in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until the chocolate and shortening mixture is melted and smooth.

Step 6: Coat Cool Whip candy with chocolate

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Set a piece of candy on the end of a fork, hold it over the bowl of chocolate and use a spoon to scoop melted chocolate over the candy, covering all sides. Gently tap off the excess chocolate, then slide the coated piece back onto the waxed paper-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining candy pieces until they’re all coated.

Step 7: Chill until firm

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Place the tray of coated Cool Whip candy in the fridge and chill until the chocolate is firm, about an hour. Once firm, transfer the candy to an airtight container. Serve this copycat 3 Musketeers bar cold, and keep leftover pieces covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Editor’s Tip: You might notice a few splotches appear on the surface of the chilled candy. This is caused by the temperature change as the warm, melted chocolate sets in the cold fridge. Since Cool Whip candy needs to stay cold, this can’t really be avoided, but the good news is that they’re still tasty and fine to eat.

How to Make This Recipe Your Own

Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

The variations below won’t taste exactly like a 3 Musketeers bar, but they’re delicious twists on Cool Whip candy!

White Chocolate-Covered Candy

If you like your candy to be really sweet, try coating the Cool Whip candy in white chocolate. Just use white chocolate chips in the coating instead of milk chocolate chips.

Dark Chocolate-Covered Candy

To dial down the sweetness, coat your candy with semisweet or dark chocolate chips instead. As with the milk chocolate, be careful not to overheat it.

Cool Whip Truffles

After slicing the chilled candy into pieces, roll each one in your hands to form a ball. Chill the balls for 30 minutes in the freezer. Then, roll them in toppings of your choice, like chocolate cookie crumbs or finely crushed, salted pretzels.