The 3-Ingredient Cool Whip Candy That Tastes Like A Store-Bought Fave

There's a way to make a super tasty candy bar at home — and it only requires three ingredients. And if that isn't enough to convince you, this homemade candy bar also tastes extremely similar to a store-bought favorite: 3 Musketeers. Just like the classic candy bar — which originated because of food rationing — this homemade version is chocolatey, fluffy, and guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Here are the three ingredients you need: an 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip, 6 cups of milk chocolate (divided), and 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable shortening. Start by melting half of the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl, then combine with the full tub of Cool Whip. Pour the mixture into a square pan lined with plastic wrap, spread it into an even layer, and pop into the freezer for about 30 minutes to harden.

Once the 30 minutes is up, take the pan out of the freezer and lift the plastic wrap out to remove the chocolate candy mixture. Cut the mixture into bars — whatever size you prefer, whether it's typical candy bar size or mini candy bar size. Finally, melt the remaining milk chocolate, then dip each candy bar into the chocolate to fully coat. Pop the chocolate-covered candy pieces back into the freezer for about an hour, or until they're completely firm. Last but not least, enjoy as many homemade candy bars as you please.

One of the benefits of making candy bars at home is that you get to customize them exactly to your liking. The easiest way to customize? Switch up the chocolate type. Yes, using milk chocolate ensures that the homemade candy bars taste as close to 3 Musketeers as possible, but there's nothing wrong with swapping it out for dark chocolate if that's your preference. You can even use milk chocolate for the fluffy filling and dark chocolate for the outer coating, or vice versa, for the best of both worlds. Or, stick to all milk chocolate for the candy bars, but then drizzle extra dark chocolate over the top — as long as you don't mind an extra chocolatey candy. You can even experiment with integrating white chocolate into the mix.

Further, if you aren't worried about keeping the taste similar to 3 Musketeers — but, rather, you just want to make a delicious homemade candy bar — there are plenty of other customizations you can make. If you want to add some crunch to the bar, you can mix in crushed pretzels or chopped-up nuts when you're combining the Cool Whip and chocolate. Or, you can add a drizzle of caramel over the top of the finished candy bars for some extra sweetness — this iteration may taste like a cross between a 3 Musketeers and a Twix bar. After experimenting with the homemade 3 Musketeers bar, you may want to continue exploring the world of DIY chocolate bars.