Turn Cool Whip Into Frosting With One Extra Ingredient

Cool Whip is delicious if you're spooning it right out of the tub, but if you're trying to use it as a frosting, it can fall a little flat. We love dipping our fruit in Cool Whip, plopping dollops on our pie slices, and stirring it into no-bake strawberry cheesecake fillings, but there's no getting around the fact that its consistency is a little flimsier than that of regular frosting — it's meant to be a whipped cream substitute, after all. However, it only takes one extra ingredient to promote Cool Whip to frosting status: cream of tartar.

On its own, Cool Whip already holds many of the qualities that we love in frosting. It's thick, sweet, and fluffy, and has the added benefits of freezing well and not melting like whipped cream will. But when you mix it with cream of tartar, you get a tasty frosting that can also retain its structure. This powdered ingredient, also known as tartaric acid, is a byproduct of the grape fermentation process. It's an underrated but effective stabilizer in all kinds of recipes, from cookies to meringue to angel food cake. Combined with Cool Whip, it can create a sturdy, customizable frosting that takes very little time to make.

If cream of tartar sounds like a foreign object to you, don't worry — you can get it at major retailers like Amazon and Walmart. It's available online, but typically will also be in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Not only is it affordable, but it can last for years in your pantry. Once you've secured your cream of tartar, all you need to do is beat your two ingredients together, either with a stand mixer, electric beaters, or a handheld whisk and a prayer. You'll want to let the Cool Whip defrost in the fridge for about an hour beforehand and use the entire 8-ounce tub along with ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar.

These two ingredients alone will produce a tasty frosting, but if you like, you can also add in some extras for flavor. Try extracts like vanilla, peppermint, or lemon, spices like cinnamon or pumpkin pie, or a dash of lemon, orange, or lime juice or zest. If your frosting comes out a little thinner than you'd like, you can always pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to let it harden up a bit. But if you do leave leftovers in there overnight, give your bowl a good stir before using them again.