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German Chocolate Cake Cookies

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A fun twist on a classic dessert, these German Chocolate Cake Cookies are everything you love about the cake in a rich, gooey, single-serving cookie.

A fun twist on a classic dessert, these German Chocolate Cake Cookies are everything you love about the cake in a rich, gooey, single-serving cookie.

German chocolate cake is my dad’s favorite dessert so, when he and my stepmom came for a visit a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted to make a recipe that was a twist on that. Since I’m all about individual servings — have you seen how many cupcake recipes I have? — I decided to transform my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and my Granny’s German chocolate frosting recipe into German Chocolate Cake Cookies.


Needless to say, these guys were a hit. I served them at a family gathering and was asked several times for the recipe. I sent the leftovers with J to school for his coworkers, and I later received a few texts raving about them. One of my favorite things about these cookies is that the various parts can be made ahead. I made the chocolate cookies a few days before the get-together, and the frosting can sit in the fridge for a couple days, too. Then assembly is pretty much a breeze.

A fun twist on a classic dessert, these German Chocolate Cake Cookies are everything you love about the cake in a rich, gooey, single-serving cookie.

German Chocolate Cake Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

For the Frosting

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter for two minutes. Add sugars and beat three minutes more, until mixture is fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda, and mix just until combined. Next, add flour and cocoa powder and, once more, mix just until combined.

Roll cookie dough into one-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Baking cookies for 9-12 minutes, or until the centers have just lost their shine and aren’t squishy to the touch. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Combine, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, evaporated milk, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir constantly until everything melts together and the mixture becomes thick and begins to bubble, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add coconut and pecans, and allow the frosting to cool completely.

To assemble the cookies, place a tablespoon – more or less depending on preference – of frosting in the center of each cookie. Use the back of a spoon to gently spread frosting a little. Combine chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted. Drizzle melted chocolate over frosted cookies and allow it to dry before serving.

Tools I Used

Notes

  • Cookies can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container for up to five days.
  • You’ll likely have leftover frosting, but halving the recipe probably wouldn’t make enough.

There are plenty more mouthwatering cookie recipes to be had! Check out all the options below:

Looking for a new favorite cookie recipe? Look no further than decadent German Chocolate Cake Cookies, plus plenty of other mouthwatering options.

Snowballs from Samantha at Carter’s Cozy Nest
Paleo Chocolate Chip cookies from Mia at Mia Sutton Blog
Snickerdoodles from Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green
German Chocolate Cake Cookies from Abby at Winstead Wandering
Sugar Cookies from Lindsay at Pursuit of Pink
Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Almond Crescent Cookies) from Sandra at The In Between Is Mine
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ashley at Happy. Pretty. Sweet.
Cloud Snickerdoodles from Savannah at The Savvy Plate
Peppermint Whoopie Pies from Abi at Abi Tomberlin Blog
Peanut Butter Dreams Dog Treats from Beth at Daily Dog Tag
Grandma Hermits by Lecy at A Simpler Grace

Pin these German Chocolate Cake Cookies for later!

A fun twist on a classic dessert, these German Chocolate Cake Cookies are everything you love about the cake in a rich, gooey, single-serving cookie.

(this post contains affiliate links; to learn more, see my disclosure policy)

Comments

    • Aww, thanks, Lecy! If I, as a non-German chocolate cake fan, enjoy these cookies, you’d definitely love them!

  2. Wow, those look rich! I’d probably go without the frosting (not a fan in general), but the cookie itself sounds soooo good.

    • The frosting was so good that, as it was cooling on the stove, my dad couldn’t stop using it as a dip for the apples he was slicing. 🙂

  5. Oh my gooooodness. My favorite cake in cookie form?! These look divine and are just perfect for the holidays! My husband and my father love coconut and chocolate together, so I will be making sure to make these soon 🙂 🙂

  8. German Chocolate Cake is not my favorite cake, but I find myself NEEDING to eat it about once a year. It is so tasty and I like these little cookies.

  11. What!! This recipe is brilliant, haha. Love German Chocolate Cake and Cookies, and especially love that you’ve combined the two into one!

  12. I can see why these cookies would make me want to skip dinner. The combination of chocolate, shredded coconut and pecans just sounds amazing. btw I just googled German chocolate cake, no wonder I have never heard of that before, it’s by a guy called Samuel German. =D

    • I had no idea it was named after a guy! I just assumed it was from Germany, and since I have no clue about German food, I never had a reason to question that. Thanks for sharing!

  16. I’m so intrigued by the frosting recipe – I’ve never tried anything similar! Does it dry hard so you can stack them on top of each other or pack on a cookie tray, or do these have to stay as single layer cookies?