German Chocolate Cookies

German chocolate cookies have all the elements of the classic cake, but in cookie form! The coconut and pecan filling works perfectly as a topping for chewy chocolate cookies.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course cookie, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings cookies

Calories 256kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

Topping

3 large egg yolks
¾ cup (177 ml) evaporated milk
6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces
½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (94 g) toasted pecans chopped (see note)
1 ½ cups (120 g) sweetened shredded coconut

Cookies

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups (285 g) cake flour (see note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt

Instructions

Topping

Prepare the topping first as it will need a fair bit of time to cool before you can top your cookies with it!
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk and whisk together until eggs are lightly beaten.
3 large egg yolks, ¾ cup evaporated milk
Add butter, sugars, and salt and heat over medium/low heat, stirring to combine. Be sure to keep your heat low so you do not cook your eggs. Stir continuously until mixture is light golden brown and has thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon, I demonstrate this in the video), this should take around 10 minutes but may take longer.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt
Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla, pecans, and coconut.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup toasted pecans, 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Allow topping to cool completely at room temperature before spreading over cookies. Meanwhile, prepare your cookies.

Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment), combine butter and sugar and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamed, light, and fluffy (at least 2 minutes on high speed)
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar
Add cocoa powder and stir on low-speed until completely combined.
½ cup natural cocoa powder
Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir again until completely combined and uniform.
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 ½ cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
Gradually stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients in several parts, mixing after each addition until completely combined.
Scoop cookie dough by the level 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized scoop (32g) and roll gently between your palms to make a smooth ball. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart.
Transfer baking sheet to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 8-9 minutes. Within a minute of removing from the oven, use a flat surface (such as the clean bottom of a measuring cup) to lightly press down to gently flatten the top of each cookie (so the surface is flat and smooth). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before carefully transferring to cooling rack to cool completely (or at least mostly cooled) before covering with topping.
Once the topping and cookies have both cooled, scoop topping by 1 Tablespoon-sized scoop and use a spoon to gently spread over the surface of the cookie, nudging it toward the edges. Serve and enjoy.

Video

Notes

Egg whites

If you don’t want to waste your egg whites, save them for macarons, meringues, white cupcakes, Swiss meringue buttercream, or candied pecans!

Pecans

If you don’t already have toasted pecans, you can follow my simple tutorial on how to toast pecans. Toast them, let them cool a bit, and then chop them for best results.

Cake flour

Cake flour is best for this cookie for a lighter, tender texture reminiscent of a German chocolate cake. However, if all-purpose flour is all you have, you can substitute 2 ¼ cup (280g) of all-purpose flour + 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch.

Storing

Because of the coconut topping, these cookies should be refrigerated if you’re keeping them longer than 24 hours. To store them, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you don’t like them cold, it’s fine to pull a few out and bring to room temperature before enjoying!

Nutrition