These German chocolate cookies are a soft, chewy chocolate cookie topped with an indulgent coconut pecan frosting and drizzled in chocolate. Rich and delicious!
This cookie recipe is all the best flavors of a German chocolate cake or German chocolate brownie, combined in a compact delicious little cookie!
German Chocolate Cake Cookies
I love chocolate cookies and you really can’t go wrong when you also add in caramel and pecans like in these German chocolate cookies! Some of my other favorite cookies recipes with similar flavors include easy coconut macaroons, oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies and coconut caramel cookies.
These from scratch cookies are rich, dense, and super flavorful from lots of chocolate. The coconut pecan frosting on top is amazing and adds the best combination of textures, with the chewy coconut, the crunchy pecans and the sweet buttery base.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 ounces butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped German chocolate bar
- Coconut pecan frosting
Variations
There a few different ways to make these German chocolate cookies your own.
- Add a whole pecan on top of the frosting in the center of each cookie similar to chocolate Almond Joy cookies then add the chocolate drizzle!
- Add some chopped up Almond Joy candy bars like I use in these Almond Joy cookies.
- Or use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips for an even richer chocolate flavor.
- You can even add a second cookie on top of the frosting to make a chocolate whoopie pie!
- Make German chocolate cake mix cookies by following my cake mix cookie recipe and adding the frosting on top .
How to Make German Chocolate Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix to combine. Then add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack.
Make coconut pecan frosting by combining combining the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter in a small saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut. Cool slightly, then spread on top of the cooled cookies.
Baking Tips
- Soften the butter so that it’s at room temperature before creaming with the sugars.
- Measure the flour using the spoon and level technique for the most accurate results.
- Don’t overmix the batter so that your cookies stay soft and fluffy.
- Bake until the edges are just barely golden. They’ll continue baking on the pan but will still have that gooey center.
- Frequently stir the frosting the entire time it cooks. This will keep it from burning, as well as keep the eggs from curdling.
- Add a drizzle of melted chocolate over the frosting layer!
How to Store German Chocolate Cookies
- Store: Any leftover cookies will stay fresh for about 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the cookies sit at room temperature before enjoying so that the frosting has time to soften.
- To freeze, place on a baking sheet and freeze cookies for 30-60 minutes, or until hardened. Then transfer to a zip top bag or freezer container where you can stack and freeze for up to 3 months. I do prefer to place a piece of parchment paper in between the stacked layer.
More cookie recipes to try include peanut butter stuffed chocolate cookies, triple chocolate chip cookies, butter pecan cookies and turtle cookies!
More Cookie Recipes
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German Chocolate Cookies
Video
Ingredients
German Chocolate Cookies
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 ounces butter , softened (8 Tablespoons)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips , or chopped German chocolate
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 ounces butter (4 Tablespoons)
- 1 cup shredded coconut , I prefer sweetened
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate , melted
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Prepare ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together 4 ounces butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar. Add 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix to combine. Then add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Gently fold in 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- While the cookies are cooling, combine 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk and 2 ounces butter in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-heat, stirring frequently. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and turned a caramel color.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup coconut and 1/4 cup pecans. Allow the frosting to cool slightly and thicken.
- Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate and let cool before serving.
Notes
- Butter: Make sure to leave the butter out an hour before making or follow these tips on how to soften butter.
- Make ahead: This dough can be made 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying, or leave at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe contributed by Alicia from The Baker Upstairs.
These German chocolate cookies were a huge hit with the whole family. They were gone in 24 hours! Perfect with a cold glass of milk. :)
Categorized as: Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies, Cookies, Desserts, Frosted Cookies, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I didn’t know if I could make them because my sister was eating up the batter! She loved them!
Sweetened coconut?
I like to use sweetened, but you can use unsweetened coconut flakes if preferred.
These came out so good! Easy to make too.
Happy to hear it :)
I love anything with coconut so these cookies are going to be a new favorite at our house! Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome!
These were amazing! everyone loved them.
One question: when I made the coconut frosting, the egg yolk cooked in the pan and there were little pieces of cooked egg in the frosting. Do you know how I can prevent that from happening again?
Thanks
Hi Lily! Did you stir all the ingredients together before adding the heat? My guess is that the pot was too hot so the egg cooked faster than it should have. When it’s heated slowly, there shouldn’t be cooked egg chunks.
I will try that next time! Thanks!
Looks so delicious Jamielyn. Have you made them for the holidays? I want to change things up from the Christmas cookies I usually make!
Hope you enjoy! I usually make some of my other recipes for Christmas, but you could add some holiday decorations similar to these ginger molasses cookies to dress them up!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! These cookies look incredibly delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love the idea of making German chocolate cookies!! A little easier than German chocolate cake, with the same delicious flavors :)
Hope you enjoy! :)
German chocolate cake is one of my all time favorites! I’m definitely going to have to try these cookies out asap!
Paige
We love german Chocolate Cake at our house but it doesn’t make a very convenient snack. I am going to make this recipe and use it for an after school/work snack for the kids and the husband. I can’t wait to see their faces when they try these.
What kind of chocolate chips in batter?
I prefer semi-sweeet :)
These remind us of our sweet grandma from Germany. We must make a batch and surprise her with them. Thank you for sharing!