If you like German Chocolate cake you'll love our German Chocolate cookies with homemade coconut pecan frosting. Drizzled in melted chocolate they are a decadent treat!
You might also like our hot cocoa cookies, our Texas sheet cake cookies, or our Hostess cupcake COOKIES!
Watch our step by step video!
German Chocolate Cookies
What are German chocolate cookies? Let's start with the cake they are inspired by with a quick history lesson. You can keep scrolling, but I found this interesting! German chocolate cake isn't actually German at all. This sweet cake originated in America from a baker named Samuel German. He developed a bar of baking chocolate for the Baker's Chocolate company. Later, this same chocolate was used to create a chocolate cake with the distinct coconut pecan frosting that we all know and love by Mrs. George Clay. She called it German's Chocolate Cake after Samuel German, but over the years the apostrophe was dropped. (Source)
Getting back to the cookies, our German chocolate cookies start with a rich chocolate cookie base and are smothered with homemade coconut pecan frosting. You can use store-bought frosting, but it's easy to make your own. I used the recipe from my red Betty Crocker book and adjusted the measurements to fit my cookie recipe since I didn't need a whole batch of frosting. I make my cookies with Hershey's Special Dark baking cocoa because I think it cuts through some of the sweetness, but you can use whatever you have in your cupboard.
German Chocolate Cookies Ingredients
(scroll to the end of the post for a printable recipe with measurements)
Chocolate Cookie Dough
- melted butter: I always use salted butter for my baking recipes
- unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark for these)
- sugar: a mixture of brown and white sugar gives these cookies the perfect texture.
- vanilla extract
- large eggs
- baking soda
- salt
- all-purpose flour
The chocolate cookie dough is foolproof and yields perfect cookies every time. I use it as a base for all of my chocolate cookie recipes, including my copycat Subway double chocolate chip cookies.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- sugar
- butter
- evaporated milk: I have yet to see a recipe that doesn't use evaporated milk so I wouldn't try to substitute this.
- vanilla: for flavoring. I used my homemade vanilla extract.
- egg yolks: you'll need a couple of large egg yolks (room temperature)
- coconut: shredded sweetened coconut
- pecans: give them a nice chop
- chocolate chips: these will be melted and drizzled over the finished cookies
How To Make German Chocolate Cookies
Combine melted butter and cocoa powder in a large bowl and mix. Add sugars and mix until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients.
Chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour.
Scoop cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Coconut Pecan Frosting Instructions
Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and stir continuously to prevent egg yolks from cooking faster than the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10-12 minutes (it will resemble a thin pudding/gravy consistency).
Remove from heat.
Stir in coconut and pecans. Let frosting cool for at least 30 minutes (room temperature), stirring periodically. The frosting will thicken as it cools.
(Use about a tablespoon of frosting per cookie)
Spread cooled cookies with frosting.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Drizzle over cookies and let set up.
The chocolate will set and the coconut pecan frosting will go from sticky to tacky as they sit, making them easier to transport, but I do not recommend stacking them more than two cookies tall.
Storing Cookies and Make Ahead Instructions
This recipe makes 28 delicious chocolate cookies (you can make a half batch if you need less) that can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days. You can also store the cookies and frosting separately if you want to make them ahead of time and assemble them later.
Freezing: The frosting will last at least a week stored in the refrigerator and the unfrosted cookies can be frozen for 1-2 months.
Transport: The chocolate and the coconut pecan frosting will set up as they sit, making them easier to transport and stack after a couple of hours.
German Chocolate Cookies Recipe
German Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups flour
COCONUT PECAN FROSTING
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 5 Tablespoons butter
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup pecans chopped
Drizzle
- ¾-1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Cookies
- Melt two sticks of butter (1 cup) in the microwave. Combine melted butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until smooth.
- Mix brown sugar and white sugar with the butter/cocoa mixture.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour.
- Cover bowl with plastic and chill dough for 45 minutes- 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Scoop dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets using a medium cookie scoop (2 Tbsp. size).
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes.
- Let cool on a cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and stir continuously to prevent egg yolks from cooking faster than the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10-12 minutes (it will resemble a thin pudding/gravy consistency).Remove from heat.Stir in coconut and pecans. Let frosting cool for at least 30 minutes (room temperature), stirring periodically. The frosting will thicken as it cools.
- Spread cooled cookies with frosting. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals (stirring in between each interval). Spoon chocolate into a sandwich baggie, cut the corner with scissors and drizzle over cookies.Let cookies set up for a bit to allow chocolate to harden and frosting to get tacky.
Kim says
Yummy cookies, I made some for my family and they were gone in a day
Brandy says
So glad to hear!