Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Ultra chocolaty with that perfect combination of tropical coconut and nutty, earthy pecans.
Texture: The cookies are ridiculously soft yet chewy and loaded with melty chocolate chips. Top that with the super gooey yet crunchy coconut topping and each bite is pure bliss.
Ease: A few more steps involved than your typical cookie recipe but so worth it! The topping may seem weird at first but just follow the directions and you’ll be good.
Appearance: Taking the extra time to drizzle melted chocolate over these really does elevate them to a new level, especially because the topping looks kinda strange on its own.
Pros: Super fun and flavorful twist on a cookie.
Cons: None, except maybe that I preferred these cookies on the first day they were made.
Would I make this again? Definitely!
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I’ve seen German Chocolate Cookies a few times on Facebook. Each time I saw a recipe I made a mental note to add it to my “to bake” list.
Unfortunately most of the recipes I kept seeing involved cake mix. Now, I have nothing against cake mix on a moral level. Sometimes you just gotta take a shortcut.
BUT on a pure food level, I almost never use the stuff. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m all about homemade from scratch goodies whenever possible. They just taste better! And if you only eat special treats when you can make them from scratch, it’s pretty hard to overdo it. Unless you’re like me and you bake things for a living. Let’s not get into that right now…
This recipe takes cookies to a whole new level. I’ve had way too many sickeningly sweet yet bland cookies in my life. What a waste of calories. That’s why I love these German Chocolate Cookies. They’re rich and pack a huge flavor punch so they’re incredibly satisfying. And if you’re a huge chocoholic like me, you’ll adore them! Plus, as a total cookie queen, you know I got you covered with a solid recipe.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make German Chocolate Cookies
What Type of Cocoa Powder is Best For German Chocolate Cookies?
I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa for these cookies. It can be difficult to source in grocery stores, but it can be purchased easily online. My favorite brands of Dutch-process cocoa powder are E. Guittard, Penzey’s, Bensdorp, or Valrhona.
Why Use Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder?
I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa because it provides a deep color, more moisture, and a flavor that I think complements the sweet coconut topping perfectly. Dutch-process cocoa has more fat than most grocery store natural/unsweetened cocoa powder products, which is what we want for flavor and moisture in this specific recipe.
If you must use natural cocoa powder, go ahead. Just note your German Chocolate Cookies may be lighter in color and slightly drier in texture. You can learn more about the differences between cocoa powders here.
What Baking Sheet is Best for German Chocolate Cookies?
A light-colored aluminum half-sheet pan is my favorite for baking cookies. Avoid dark nonstick pans altogether, they brown too much and may burn the bottoms of your cookies. This is particularly important for dark-colored cookies like these German Chocolate Cookies, as it can be harder to tell visually when these are done baking. The below photo features cookies from the same exact batch of dough, baked for the same amount of time at the same temperature. The only difference was the baking pan!
Check out my Baking Pans 101 post for all the surprising details. Or, just click here to score my favorite baking pans for cookies (and everything else!)
Why Use a Cookie Scoop?
- One of the KEYS to beautiful, uniform, evenly-shaped cookies.
- Saves you *so much time* in forming the balls of dough.
- Ensures each ball is evenly sized so the cookies bake evenly.
- No small overbaked cookies or large underbaked cookies.
- I love using a 1.5-Tablepsoon size cookie scoop for this cookie recipe.
- Learn more about Cookie Scoops and how to use them here!
How to Store German Chocolate Cookies
Store German Chocolate Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Store cookies with a tortilla, apple wedge, or piece of bread to keep them soft a little longer.
Recommended Products:
- My Favorite Baking Sheets
- Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- Medium Cookie Scoop (1.5 Tablespoons)
- Parchment Paper (I love these pre-cut sheets)
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Black & White Chocolate Chipper Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Recipe
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German Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 1/4 cups (5.6 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 heaping cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Using a medium (1.5-Tablespoon) size spring-loaded cookie scoop, drop the dough by 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds onto the prepared baking sheets
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
For the topping:
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar, egg yolk, and butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Let cool until thick enough to spread on top of the cooled cookies.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the cookies. Let everything set for at least 15 minutes before serving. Cookies are best served the day they’re made.
Made the cookies, they are wonderful!! I used walnuts, wish I had pecan, but I have 10 lbs of walnuts, and hubby said no more buying nuts until there is room in the freezer. The texture is similar, light crunch, but pecans would have been better. To Angelica, who asked if you can use regular milk, well, I did, no condensed milk available. When you use condensed milk, you get the nice flavour. Use reg milk, and you get a different taste, so, as, Tessa’s recipes call for, condensed milk is best. I used .5 cup reg milk, with 2.5 tablespoons of whole milk powder. With this substitution, you are looking for similar texture, but you get diff taste. I cooked milk and sugar to a runny syrup, then let it sit overnight. More liquid gets lost by leaving it overnight, which, texture wise is what you are looking for. Or, you can just sit at the stove, and cook it straight to the texture Tessa states in the recipe. Been jonesing for a portable solution to German Chocolate cake, and Tessa has made the PERFECT version! Thanks Tessa!
GERMAN Chocolate cake, the name comes from the brand of chocolate “German”, that used to be sold in America. The German chocolate company devised the cake recipe to sell more chocolate product. Very useful advertising. I am old, I remember the product. Love the fact Tessa, that you take the time to cook from scratch. Cake mixes are for sissies. Yes, I have used cake mixes before, but for those who love baking, scratch is magic!!
OMG!!! Best cookies EVER, I brought them to work and had to give out recipe. I had people sending their family in to get one of these delicious cookies
1. Can I use Hershey’s cocoa?
2. Confused…. last ingredient says semisweet chocolate so does that mean more of the chips melted or
is there a bar I need to look for at the store?
These sounds amazing! I am thinking of making them for cookie exchange party 🙂
Can they be made using Gluten Free flour substitute?
Thanks!
Yum yum yum! Made this for Father’s Day and beyond good! I used sliced almonds instead of pecans bc that’s what I had….the cookies are so soft and delicious and man oh man that icing! Shared the link with my followers so good!! Thanks!
It is not usual to find German cookies recipies, and even that I am not going to make them by the moment, I am compiling a series of recipes that I’ve downloaded from the internet, of those that I consider that will be a good selection for a small cookie business that I am about to start.
I’ve worked in the pasta and icecram industry in my country Ecuador, and I am extremely demanding with the quality and the production processes, I am sure that your recipe will definitely be an excellent addition to my cookies list. I’ll let you now how this cookies came out of my oven.
Can you use hershey’so cocoa instead of Dutch process cocoa
Hello Tessa,
this Cookie Recipe sounds great but this is not a German Cookie.Pecan nuts are hard to find and very expensive and not typical German.What was the Name from the Chocolate Cake from Germany do you make these Cookies?
Typical Cookies are vanilla Kipferl(vanilla crescents) or with Jam filled Butter Cookies.
No offense and many Greetings from Bavaria,Germany 🙂
These were very easy to make.. Simple ingredients.. Easy to prepare… The taste was oh so rich… wow… The topping I wanted to eat by itself.. Delicious.. I’m not much of a baker so these came out wonderful from a so so baker..
To start off let me tell you I am what you call a beginner baker. However, I was going to a cookie exchange and I wanted to find a cookie recipe that would rock the socks off people and this recipe did. Thank you so much for sharing! What an amazing cookie!
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear that, Katie 🙂
My husband loves German Chocolate cake! I love the option to make yummy cookies instead of the whole big cake:) Thank you for the recipe…and right before the holidays too 🙂