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Cool whip candy is one of the easiest no-bake treats you can make for the holidays, and it tastes just like a homemade 3 Musketeers bar. The light, fluffy chocolate center paired with a smooth dark chocolate coating gives you that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture with a satisfying crack in every bite. Thanks to the whipped topping, the mixture becomes airy and mousse-like, and the best part is that this homemade candy requires only a few simple ingredients and almost no effort.
Every holiday season gets chaotic fast, so I gravitate toward sweets that don’t require special candy-making skills or complicated tools. This cool whip candy comes together with nothing more than a large bowl, a microwave-safe bowl, a baking dish lined with parchment paper, and your freezer, seriously, that’s it. It’s affordable, impressive, and makes the cutest little pieces of candy for holiday gifts.
If you love candy-inspired recipes, try my Rolo Pretzel Turtles and Christmas Peanut Pretzel M&M’s Bark or this Pretzel M&M’s Bark Recipe next.
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There’s something magical about recreating nostalgic candy at home, especially when the copycat version is easier than the original. I tried this cool whip candy on a whim, folding melted chocolate into whipped topping, and as soon as the mixture set in the freezer I knew I had stumbled onto FREAKING DELICIOUS!!
It has that airy, mousse-like filling we all love in a 3 Musketeers bar, but with richer flavor and a cleaner ingredient list. A little bit of patience while the mixture chills is all you need. Slice it, dip it in silky dark chocolate, and let the excess drip off with forks before placing each piece on a parchment-lined tray. Once the coating sets in the refrigerator or freezer, the results are shockingly professional.
If you want a candy recipe that looks fancy but requires zero candy thermometers, this is your new holiday favorite. Plus these little cool whip candy squares freeze beautifully, which makes them perfect for holiday prep.
Why You Will Love This Cool Whip Candy
- Customizable (peppermint, nuts, white chocolate… anything!)
- Only 3 main ingredients
- No thermometer, no stovetop, no special equipment
- The fluffy center tastes identical to a 3 Musketeers bar
- Sets beautifully in the freezer
- The dark chocolate shell gives the perfect snap
- Budget-friendly and perfect for edible gifts
Ingredients for this cool whip candy recipe
(Full measurements in the recipe card below.)
- Milk chocolate chips – melted and cooled, forming the fluffy center
- Cool Whip or whipped topping – creates the mousse-like texture
- Dark chocolate or white chocolate chips, or wafers, for dipping
- Optional additions: peppermint extract, crushed nuts, mini chocolate chips
How to Make Cool Whip Candy (Step-by-Step Instructions)
This is how you can make this 3-musketeers candy. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full step-by-step instructions!
- Melt the milk chocolate chips – Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring with a spatula between each one until smooth.
- Cool the chocolate – Let the melted chocolate cool down to room temperature for 8–10 minutes so it doesn’t melt the whipped topping.
- Fold in the Cool Whip – Gently fold the whipped topping into the chocolate mixture until smooth and fluffy.
- Spread and freeze – Transfer into a prepared pan or baking dish lined with parchment. Freeze 30 minutes until firm.
- Slice the filling – Remove from the freezer, peel off the piece of parchment paper, and slice into squares or bonbon shapes.
- Freeze again – Spread on a parchment-lined tray and freeze another 20–30 minutes. This helps keep the filling firm for dipping.
- Dip in dark chocolate – Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Dip each piece using dipping forks, letting the excess chocolate drip off.
- Chill to set – Place on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate or freeze until fully set.
Variations
- Peppermint Cool Whip Candy – add 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- White Chocolate Bonbons – dip in crushed wafers or white chocolate chips
- Crunchy version – stir in chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips
- Truffle-style – roll instead of slicing. First chill in a bowl, then scoop using a small tablespoon scoop.
Troubleshooting
- My filling is too soft. Freeze longer before slicing; warm kitchens or thick pans may need extra time.
- My chocolate coating cracks. Let the candies rest 2 minutes out of the freezer before dipping so the temperature contrast isn’t extreme.
- My melted chocolate seized. Melt slowly in 30-second intervals and stir often. Never let steam or water touch your bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
Make sure that you store these candies in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer. They taste best cold, plus they will not melt and make a mess this way!
Yes! Use dark chocolate, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, melting wafers, or Ghirardelli.
Use homemade whipped cream whipped to stiff peaks or non-dairy whipped topping.
No, just a microwave-safe bowl, spatula, baking dish, and freezer. I like to be extra and use this chocolate dipping fork but it really helps so much!!
Yes! Add a drop or two for a holiday twist. Feel free to adjust the amount you use to your likings.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals. Stirring in between each one. You can also use a double boiler to melt it evenly. Just make sure that the hot water isn’t touching the bottom of your bowl to keep the chocolate from burning and seizing.
3 Ingredient Cool Whip Candies – 3 musketeers copycat recipe.
Ingredients
- 24 oz milk chocolate chips
- 8 oz Cool Whip thawed
- 24 oz dark chocolate chopped
- festive sprinkles
Instructions
- Microwave chocolate chips for 1 minute; stir and continue in 30-second intervals until melted. Cool to room temperature (about 10-15 minutes).24 oz milk chocolate chips
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment. Fold melted chocolate into Cool Whip and spread evenly.8 oz Cool Whip
- Freeze for 30 minutes, cut into 36 squares, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze again for 30 minutes.
- Melt dark chocolate wafers as instructed on the packaging. Dip each square using a chocolate dipping fork and place on a parchment-lined sheet to harden. If you want to top your candies with sprinkles now is the time to do so.24 oz dark chocolate, festive sprinkles
- Store in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
HELP. What did i do wrong ? i did use sugar free cool
whip. and tried use less chocolate chips. i wanted it more nugget like less chocolate. i got like tan cram with lil pieces chocolate i know liquid when added ?? was oil
whip too cold ?
It sounds like a few things might have affected the texture! Using sugar-free Cool Whip can sometimes change the consistency since it has different stabilizers. Also, reducing the amount of chocolate chips could have made the mixture softer. If your Cool Whip was too cold, it might not have mixed as smoothly, or if the chocolate was too warm, it could have caused separation. Try letting the Cool Whip sit out for a few minutes before mixing and using the full amount of chocolate for better structure. I would stick to the ingredients I shared in the recipe because that’s whay I know works best, changing amounts and types of ingredients can result in something completely that doens’t always work. Hope that helps!