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German chocolate cookies are classic and delicious! This chocolate cookie has a coconut and pecan topping that is drizzled with chocolate. It’s perfect for any occasion!
I love cookies! There are so many different ones that just taste SOO GOOD. Some of the best tried and true cookies are these snickerdoodles, butter cookies, and these amazing sugar cookies!
What are German Chocolate Cookies?
I love it when I can do a crossover of a cake and a cookie. These german chocolate cookies are just that! They have the texture of a cookie but the flavor of your classic German chocolate cake! They also still have that same delicious pecan and coconut German topping that has everyone asking for more. Whether you are doing a holiday cookie exchange, baking gifts for neighbors, or hosting a family party, these cookies are the ones that you MUST TRY.
Not only are they crazy delicious but they are super easy to make! My kids love helping me drizzle on the chocolate as the last and final touch. It really does make them look (and taste) extra good. So go ahead and try these! And if you love German chocolate then you must try this German chocolate fudge too. It’s classic and delicious!
Ingredients You Need to Make German Chocolate Cookies
These cookies use classic and delicious ingredients! You might want to double the recipe because these are going to fly off of your counter! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a list of exact measurements.
Cookies
- Semi-sweet baking chocolate: Chop this up into small pieces so that it melts easier.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
- Cocoa powder: This is what will give your cookies a deep, chocolate flavor!
- Baking powder: Baking powder helps your cookies to rise, keeping them from getting hard and chewy.
- Salt: This is used to enhance all of the ingredients in the recipe.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter that I let sit out so that it could come to room temperature. It will mix into the dough better this way!
- Brown sugar: The deep flavor that brown sugar brings to these cookies is a must!
- Granulated sugar: The sweet sugar is used to balance out the cocoa powder.
- Eggs: I like to set out my eggs so that they come to room temperature before I mix them in.
- Vanilla: The vanilla brings a slight flavoring to the sweet sugar.
German Topping
- Evaporated Milk: This will be used to bind all of the ingredients together.
- Granulated sugar: This will give the topping a sweet taste.
- Egg Yolk: Make sure to separate your eggs for this part!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so that there is no salt flavor in the topping.
- Vanilla: This adds a touch of flavoring to the topping.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: This is a classic ingredient for German topping. You can use toasted or untoasted. They both taste delicious!
- Pecans: Chop these up as fine as you like them.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips melted: You can use milk chocolate chips instead if that’s all that you have.
Let’s Bake Some Cookies!
These German chocolate cookies are so good that you will want to cook them again for weeks after! Try them out and eat them up, they are so addicting!
German Cookies
- Melt baking chocolate: In a small bowl melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Mix butter and sugars and add in eggs, vanilla and chocolate: In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together for about 2 minutes. Mix them until they are combined and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Mix in the melted chocolate until just combined.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then, mix on medium low until combined, being sure to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Chill: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop and bake: Scoop the dough into (18) 1 ½ inch balls and place on the baking sheets and leave 2 inches between the cookies. If the dough is too hard to scoop then let it sit for 15-20 minutes and try again.. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is still a bit gooey. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 3 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. While the cookies are baking then prepare the German topping.
German Topping
- Whisk: In a small saucepan whisk together the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter. Heat over medium high heat until boiling and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, until it is thickened and turning a golden brown. Make sure that you whisk constantly to avoid curdling or burning.
- Add in pecans, coconut and vanilla, then cool: Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the pecans, coconut and vanilla. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool and finish thickening. If the sauce doesn’t seem to be setting up very thick then you can cook it for 5 or so minutes longer over medium low heat. Again, be sure to stir constantly.
- Add to cookies and drizzle with chocolate. Let them set: Once the topping and the cookies are cooled, top each German chocolate cookie with a scant tablespoon of the topping. Drizzle the cookies with the melted chocolate. Let sit for 30 minutes or so. Make sure that the german topping is fully set up before serving.
Baking Tips
These german chocolate cookies are super delicious and I want them to turn out just right for you! Here are a few tips and ideas that you can try!
- Room temperature ingredients: Make sure to take all of your refrigerated ingredients out and put them on the counter a few hours before you plan on baking. When you bring your ingredients to room temperature then it really helps them mix nicely together. It makes the dough really smooth and doesn’t have any lumps!
- Don’t open the oven door: I know that it’s tempting to open the oven door while you are baking your cookies. But, opening the oven door lets out a lot of heat which can make your cookies bake unevenly. So, try to resist opening it and use the oven light instead!
- Underbake: Take the cookies out of the oven while they still look a little bit gooey in the center. They will continue to bake on the hot tray after they have been removed from the oven!
How to Store Leftovers
I like to store my leftover German chocolate cookies in an airtight container in my fridge. They will last for up to 2 weeks!
Storing them in the fridge will cause the topping to get a little firm. To make them soft and gooey again, go ahead and pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and the cookies will taste super fresh!
Cookies
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In a small bowl melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
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In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for about 2 minutes, until combined and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Mix in the melted chocolate until just combined.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on medium-low until combined, being sure to scrape down the sides as needed.
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Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Scoop the dough into 18 1 ½ inch balls and place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies. If the dough is too hard to scoop, let it sit for 15-20 minutes and try again. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is still a bit gooey. Remove from the oven and let cool for 3 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a cooling rack. While the cookies are baking, prepare the german topping.
German Topping
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In a small saucepan whisk together the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk, and butter. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, until it is thickened and turning a golden brown. Whisk constantly to avoid curdling or burning.
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Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the pecans, coconut, and vanilla. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool and finish thickening. If the sauce doesn’t seem to be setting up very thick, you can cook it for 5 or so minutes longer over medium-low heat, being sure to stir constantly.
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Once the topping has cooled and the cookies are cooled, top each cookie with a scant tablespoon of the topping. Drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate. Let sit for 30 minutes or so, so the german topping is fully set up before serving.
Serves: 18
Calories293kcal (15%)Carbohydrates34g (11%)Protein4g (8%)Fat16g (25%)Saturated Fat9g (45%)Polyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat5gTrans Fat1gCholesterol50mg (17%)Sodium62mg (3%)Potassium204mg (6%)Fiber2g (8%)Sugar25g (28%)Vitamin A247IU (5%)Vitamin C1mg (1%)Calcium55mg (6%)Iron2mg (11%)
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
