German Chocolate Brownies
These German Chocolate Brownies deliver the same terrific chocolate, coconut, caramel, and pecan flavors as their namesake cake with a fraction of the work.
Rich fudgy brownies are topped with the decadent, gooey coconut topping that German chocolate cake lovers adore.
Why You Must Make
- The base is made of dense, fudgy, and decadent brownies.
- Topping them with a rich, nutty, caramelly coconut topping pushes these over the top!
- As a coconut lover, these gems were calling my name! And though they’re not low-cal, they’re much less dangerous to your figure than eating a slab of German chocolate cake!
Expert Tips
- Line your baking pan with non-stick foil. When a dessert has a sticky component like these brownies, it’s especially helpful to assist in removing the brownies.
- Toast your pecans by placing them in a skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently until you can smell a nutty aroma. This helps bring out the essential oils, making the pecans more flavorful. Watch carefully so they do not burn.
- PRO-Tip: When measuring sticky ingredients like Karo syrup (also honey, peanut butter, etc), spray your cups or measuring spoons with non-stick cooking spray like Pam for easy release.
- Use a toothpick to check for doneness. When inserted into the center and removed, the brownies are done if it comes out clean. Otherwise, return to the oven for a few more minutes and recheck.
- PRO-Tip: As with many of my desserts, I chill these brownies before slicing. Cold brownies will cut cleaner when first refrigerated. But serve at room temperature for the best eating experience. Check out my post on cutting bar cookies for more details.
How to Make
I packed these German Chocolate Brownies up and took them to two luncheons. You see, Bill won’t touch anything with coconut and I cannot get enough of it. So these sorts of tempting treats must be high-tailed out of the house. Making these brownies is much less daunting than a full-blown German chocolate cake! Here are the highlights:
- Preheat the oven and line your baking pan with non-stick foil.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together, and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar, then add the vanilla and chocolate. Finally, add the dry ingedients.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake as directed.
- For the topping, mix together the ingredients as directed. Drop spoonfuls across the surface of the baked and cooled brownies. Spread evenly over the brownies
- Broil about 6 inches from the element, watching carefully, for about 3 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly. DO NOT walk away while broiling or your topping could burn.
I did sample one of these German Chocolate Brownies first, though, and declared them blog-worthy. And even more than blog-worthy, they were insanely delicious. So off they went. To the hospital on Thursday and to a holiday lunch with my girlfriends on Friday.
I’m also a fan of the caramel brownies made from a box of German Chocolate Cake mix, but these German chocolate Brownies from scratch are a pure, wholesome indulgence!
Frequently Asked Questions
German chocolate is a type of dark chocolate created and named for Samuel German in 1852. It’s smooth and mild in flavor plus it’s sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate due to the addition of sugar.
Baker’s Brand sells German chocolate that is readily available at large grocery stores. But if you can’t locate it, semisweet chocolate works well (that’s what is used in this recipe).
German Chocolate contains 48% cacao, which is obtained from the tropical evergreen from which cocoa butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder are produced. Note: cacao refers to the raw, unrefined bean and cocoa refers to the bean after it’s roasted.
As a comparison, Semisweet Chocolate typically contains 60% cacao and Bittersweet Chocolate contains 70%. Milk Chocolate is only required to contain 10%.
You May Also Like:
- Gooey Upside Down German Chocolate Cake from Tidy Mom
- German Chocolate Brownie Pie
- German Chocolate Brownie Pie
- 7 Layer Bars
- German Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes
- Plus, check out all my Best Bar Cookie Recipes
German Chocolate Brownies
Rich brownies topped with the classic, gooey German chocolate frosting
Ingredients
For Brownies:
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted for the best flavor
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil (or use regular foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray). Set aside.
- In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture. Add flour and salt and mix till combined.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
- For the topping, combine butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add coconut, pecans, corn syrup, and milk. Mix till well combined. Drop spoonfuls over top of brownies then spread evenly over top.
- Broil about 6 inches from the element, watching carefully, for about 3 minutes, till lightly browned and bubbly.
Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 brownieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g
58 Comments on “German Chocolate Brownies”
I’m a big coconut fan and these really look delicious, very spoon worthy indeed.
It is definitely the topping that takes the cake! In this case, the brownies! Loving these, Liz!
My brother who always claims to not like cake, used to request German chocolate cake for his birthday dessert when we were kids. I think he’s really love these brownies – they look really terrific!
Absoluely love the addition of coconut. With Bill not eating them, there’s more for you, and nice to hear that everyone enjoyed these bars – they look divine.
I was thinking about doing this over Christmas and told myself it was all too hard. 🙂 How beautiful they look.
Wow, I think I would eat the whole lot, but no, festive feasting is finis for me!
I hope Bill was able to find foods he could eat in NZ! I do love the sound of these brownies with coconut and caramel. How well they would have been received at the hospital and the ladies lunch xx
ooh, now if I was there I would definitely be able to help you polish these off – I love coconut and all those other goodies you’ve put on top.
These brownies look fudgy, gorgeous and so addictive!! And I love coconut; I need to make these ASAP! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, Liz 🙂
Um, hellllllooooo brownies!
Those look positively amazing!!!
I love German Chocolate Cake! And haven’t had one in ages. So I should have these brownies instead — much easier to make. Excellent recipe — thanks. And Happy New Year!
These brownies are stunning! I cannot wait to give them a try!
The topping looks heavenly and yes…blogworthy! Thank you for sharing, love it!!!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Not only do you make the most amazing bars but you cut them so symmetrical. How do you do that? Pinning!
What a wonderful and delicious idea Liz! I forget about German Chocolate cake for some reason but love to be reminded!
Liz!! I’m having so much fun following along on FB and seeing photos from your trip! glad you are having a great trip!!! love love love these brownies! you turned German chocolate cake into a brownie! and love learning more about Bill’s food aversions!!! how can he not like coconut?!!!
Your brownies always look smazing Lizzy!!
xo
I kind of love these <3 Did you know that German chocolate was named after a man named German? It was a brand of chocolate with a recipe calling for a coconut topping!
I would eat the whole pan too. I always laugh when someone says they don’t like sweets. I think it might be true 90% of the time but there is always something.
These would probably be my favorite brownies, I love the coconut topping:@)