If you love cakes, then you’re probably familiar with one of the classic cake flavors: German chocolate cake.
However, if you want the moist, rich, chocolate-y goodness of German chocolate cake without…well, the cake, you can have it in a smaller form: German chocolate cookies!
First, a little bit of trivia for all you food trivia lovers out there: German chocolate cake actually has nothing to do with Germany!
German chocolate cake was named after a man called Samuel “Sammy” German from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
He worked at the Baker Chocolate Company, and he developed a special type of chocolate that was sold by the company as “Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate”.
In 1975, a woman named Mrs. George Clay created a cake recipe using Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate, and it was originally called German’s chocolate cake.
According to legend, the apostrophe & “s” eventually got lost and the recipe became known as German chocolate cake.
With this great recipe, you can have all the goodness of German chocolate cake in cookie form. What’s not to love?
Toasting coconut is similar to (toasting nuts)[insert toasted pecan link here]: toasting brings out a nuttiness and depth of flavor, and adds a crunchy element.
Toasting coconut also helps keep the crisp texture of the coconut even if you use it for baking.
Why are my cookies flat?
There are several reasons why cookies can come out flat.
You could have neglected to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking. You could have used butter that’s too soft or too hard in the dough, or you could have used margarine instead of butter.
You might have overbeat the dough and whipped all of the air out of it, or you might have put too many cookies in a sheet.
Baking cookies is often a trial-and-error process, and you might need to make one than one batch to be able to bake that perfect tray of cookies.
How to store fresh baked cookies?
After cooling the cookies to room temperature, you need to store the cookies properly to keep them moist and soft. Use an airtight container to store the cookies. You can even toss in a slice of white bread to help keep the cookies soft.
Soft & Chewy German Chocolate Cookies
This delicious recipe is perfect for those who have a sweet tooth: you can have all the goodness of German chocolate cakes in bite-size form! The cookies will come out moist and chewy, with just a little bit of crispness around the edges for that perfect bite.
The toasted coconut and pecans add a scrumptious nuttiness that elevates the whole cookie.
German Chocolate Cookies Recipe
These cookies are tiny bites of the German chocolate cake you know and love: chocolatey, coconutty and pecan-nutty goodness with a lightly cocoa finish!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened but not melted
- 1 c. dark brown sugar
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. cocoa, unsweetened (We used Pacari but Hersheys or offbrand works fine.)
- ½ t. baking soda
- ½ t. baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 c. dark chocolate chips (Godiva was on the shelf! What took so long for them to start making chocolate chips!?)
- 1 c. flaked, unsweetened coconut
- 1 c. chopped pecans
Instructions
- Crack eggs into small bowl and beat. Set aside.
- Preheat skillet on stovetop on medium-low. Spread coconut evenly into skillet and toast until browned, stirring often until aromatic, around 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pan, as it can burn quickly. Remove toasted coconut and set aside.
- Then add the pecans and toast according to this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 350⁰F and lightly grease or place parchment paper onto three baking sheets. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, mixing thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. A hand mixer works best.
- Add vanilla and eggs and continue mixing.
- A cup at a time, add flour mixture into large bowl with butter mixture, gradually blending until well-combined. The dough will be stiff. Using a heavy wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and toasted pecans into the batter. Mix well.
- Using a teaspoon, drop rounded spoonfuls of batter on prepared baking sheet. Each baking sheet should hold around 1 dozen cookies.
- Bake for about 8 minutes. Don't overbake. Since the cookies are dark-colored, you need to use a toothpick to check for doneness. Poke a toothpick into the middle of the cookies; if the cookies come out clean with no batter or crumbs sticking to it, the cookies are done.
Notes
While toasting the coconut and pecans do add great flavor and crunch, you can skip this step if you’re pressed for time.
Whether you’re in the mood for a sweet dessert or you just want to relax in the kitchen by baking some cookies, these delicious German chocolate cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth!