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.
Pros: Super fun and flavorful twist on a cookie.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Definitely!
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These German Chocolate Cookies combine fudgy chocolate cookies with gooey coconut and pecan filling, for a wonderfully decadent sweet treat.
Inspired by the iconic German Chocolate Cake, these cookies deliver a fun, unique twist on the beloved dessert.
This recipe has a few steps, but it’s totally doable – and sure to be a total crowd-pleaser at any potluck or holiday party.
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!
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, 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. You can learn more about the differences between Dutch-processed and natural cocoa powders here.
Can I Use Natural Cocoa Powder Instead?
If you must use natural (aka unsweetened) cocoa powder, you can use the same amount here, no adjustments needed. Just note your German Chocolate Cookies may be lighter in color and slightly drier in texture.
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 as they brown too quickly 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.
Why Use a Cookie Scoop?
- 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
These German Chocolate Cookies taste best the day they’re made, but they can be stored inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Avoid stacking to maintain the prettiest appearance. Store cookies with a tortilla 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)
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Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (28 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 (45 grams) heaping cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (57 grams) chopped pecans
- 2 ounces (57 grams) 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.
Hi, in your post you say to store the cookies with a tortilla to keep them soft longer. What type of tortilla?
Hi Jessica, great question! Store them with flour torillas. They don’t have a strong smell or flavor and won’t impact the taste of the cookies. A piece of white bread could also work similarly!
Thank you 😊
Just curious. Why are these called „German“? I don‘t see any ingredients that are specifically German and, as a German, I never heard of this recipe.
Hi Claudia, great question! It’s actually a common misconception that German Chocolate Cake (or Cookies!) comes from Germany. The name comes from an American chocolate maker named Samuel German, who developed a specific type of dark baking chocolate. Someone used his chocolate in a cake recipe, and the rest is history! You can learn more here, if you’re interested! 🙂
Wow! I am dumbfounded. I never knew that. You learn something new every day! 🙂
Thanks for explanation.
Can you use condensed milk instead of evaporated?
No, evaporated milk is unsweetened, whereas condensed milk will make these cookies too sweet.
I haven’t made these yet. I need to know if the icing sets or is it sticky?
Hi Juju! The topping and chocolate drizzle will set, but I’d recommend avoiding stacking the cookies since the topping might flatten slightly. I hope that helps!
Is it okay to omit the chips in the dough, or are they needed to develop the chocolate flavor? Do the chips melt or stay relatively solid while baking?
Hi Shirley! While we haven’t tested leaving out the chocolate chips from this cookie recipe before, it should still work out fine. The cocoa powder in the cookie dough should give them a chocolatey taste, though they might not be quite as rich without the chocolate chips. After baking, the chocolate chips will be gooey and delicious, but they’ll firm up again as your cookies cool. I hope this helps! Please let us know what you think of these cookies once you have given them a try! Happy baking! 🙂
Hi, can I swap the granulated sugar for honey?
We wouldn’t recommend that as the taste and texture of the cookies will change. Sugar actually does more than just sweeten! You can learn more about how sugar affects baking in an article that Tessa wrote here. I hope you find it helpful 🙂
I am about to make these,can I put an indent in center and then bake?I bought coconut pecan icing for the center,I didn’t get the stuff for center
Hi Patti! We have only tried the recipe as Tessa wrote it, but let us know how it goes 🙂
can these be frozen if I need to make them a couple days early?
Hi Beth! We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure – but other readers have reported success with doing this. Let us know if you give that a try 🙂
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?
Hi Kumi! Yes, that will work just fine. You will lose a tiny bit of richness and moisture from the additional molasses in dark brown sugar, but your cookies will still be delicious! Let us know how it goes 🙂
I made with light brown sugar. My husband and kids loved it. I usually don’t eat chocolate cookies but this one was so delicious, not so sweet. Thank you Kiersten!
So happy to hear that, Kumi!
This recipe makes an awesome German chocolate cookie. I have made this several times. Everyone loves it
Hi. I am wondering if these could be made a bar cookie, like a brownie?
Hi Julie! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
I love this cookie! It’s the best chocolate cookie ever! I followed the cookie recipe exactly. I didn’t need to refrigerate the dough because I used the cookie scoop recomended and that worked great. Thanks for the tip to use the light cookie sheets. I did turn down the heat for the topping to cook it as long as it needed to cook. This made the topping the thickness it needed and after only several minutes cooling, it spread on the cookies nicely. I took the advice of someone to put the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag and cut the tip off to drizzle the chocolate. It worked perfectly!