Easy German chocolate cookies; made from scratch, NO CHILL and ready in about 30 minutes! German chocolate cake flavors without having to make a cake!
German chocolate cake is a decadent classic dessert, but it takes time to create. When you have a craving for the flavors of rich and indulgent chocolate mixed with coconuts and pecans, but are short on time, this easy cookie recipe is going to save the day! Soft and chewy chocolate cookies, made from scratch with COLD ingredients.
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the inspiration for easy German chocolate cookies
My dad always requests German chocolate cake for his birthday. He isn't a frosting kind of a guy, so I usually make it a naked cake. With all the craziness in the world currently, I didn't get to celebrate with him on his birthday this year, but I told him I'd make him a cake the next time we were together. When the time came, my mom's pantry was missing a critical ingredient for making the cake, evaporated milk.
So, I took inspiration from my chocolate confetti cookie recipe and managed to make my dad one happy guy! #winning
how do these cookies come from idea to finished so quickly?
One of the magical things about this easy recipe is that you start with cold ingredients and no chill time is necessary. The trick to this method is to use a food processor. I have a 20+ year old Cuisinart and it is well worth every penny that was spent on it.
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Let's make German Chocolate cookies from scratch!
A key component to German Chocolate is coconut and pecans. Start by placing pecans and coconut on a cutting board. You will use a knife to finely chop the two, mixing them together as you chop. Once the pieces are small, add some brown sugar on top (I prefer dark, but light brown sugar works as well) and toss to combine.
Next, preheat the oven and prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Now add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Then add the cold butter, cold cream cheese and granulated sugar.
Once the dough looks like wet sand, it's time to add the eggs and vanilla. Then process until the dough comes together.
how to prepare the cookie dough for the oven
I like to use a cookie scoop to measure the dough. Zeroll and Solula are the two brands of cookie scoops that I use most often in my kitchen. A #40 scoop is what works best for this recipe.
I scoop the dough, roll it into a ball and then roll in the prepared coconut, pecan, brown sugar mixture. The warmth of your hands makes the dough a bit tacky, which helps the dough to accept the coconut pecan mixture. I also like to roll the ball between my hands again after they've been rolled in the coconut and pecans.
I recommend working one cookie at a time. Scoop the dough, roll it in your hands, roll in the coconut pecans, then re-roll in your hands. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Now place the coconut pecan covered dough balls onto the prepared pans, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to flatten the cookie dough to ¼ - ½ inch tall.
Finally, bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. They will look slightly under baked. DO NOT over bake them!! To keep the cookies soft and chewy we want the centers slightly underdone. They will continue cooking as they cool and the centers will firm up.
Allow the cookies to rest on the baking pan for 2 minutes. Then carefully move to a wire rack to cool completely. If the baked cookies appear too puffy, use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to lightly press them down while they are cooling on the pan.
Now pour a big glass of milk or cup of coffee and savor a soft, chewy, German chocolate-y cookie!
more chocolate recipes to enjoy!
- Chocolate Confetti Cookies
- Chocolate Malt Cake
- Dairy Free Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Frosting
- Double Chocolate Oat Bottom Brownies
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these German chocolate cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
Easy German Chocolate Cookies
Soft, chewy and full of rich chocolate ~ rolled in coconut, brown sugar and pecans. German chocolate cake flavors without having to make cake!
Ingredients
TOPPING
- 1 cup pecans, measured then finely chopped
- ½ cup shredded coconut, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) cold cream cheese, cubed
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the topping: Measure 1 cup of pecans and place on a cutting board. Add the shredded coconut and chop the two ingredients together with a knife, until finely chopped. Add 2 tablepoons of brown sugar and toss until combined. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the cookies: Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare baking pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times to blend.
- Add the cold butter cubes and cold cream cheese as well as the sugar to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy in texture.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and blend until the dough comes together.
- Roll dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls and then roll into the prepared topping, then roll in your hands again to adhere the coconut pecans to the dough. I like using a #40 cookie scoop.
- Place cookies on prepared baking pans, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to flatten the cookies to between ¼ and ½ inch tall.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until they look slightly under baked.
- Allow to rest for 2 minutes on the baking pan. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to one week. They also freeze well for up to three months.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY 14-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless Steel
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USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan, Warp Resistant Nonstick Baking Pan, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
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Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-⅝" x 16-½"
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Ultra Cuisine 100% Stainless Steel Wire Cooling Rack for Baking fits Half Sheet Pans Cool Cookies, Cakes, Breads - Oven Safe for Cooking, Roasting, Grilling - Heavy Duty Commercial Quality
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 144Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
The nutrition information is an estimate and may not be entirely accurate.
Dennis Yannakos
My kids love it! Thanks for sharing!
Cool Kitchen Utensils Review
Tasia
Thank you for coming back to comment Dennis! Glad the kids loved them!
Jeff the Chef
I haven't had a German chocolate cake in years, because I married someone who doesn't like shredded coconut! Still, these cookies look hard to resist!
Tasia
Thanks Jeff! You might just have to whip up a batch for yourself then!😉. Although you should watch for cookie thieves because the coconut is chopped quite small....
Wanda Woodworth
Made these for my future son-in-law and he loved them. I guess now I am #1 mother -in-law.
Tasia
Yay! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment Wanda! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this cookie recipe!
Becci
I don't own a food processor. Can you make these in the Kitchen Aid mixer or I have blender that has a pulse setting?? Thanks!
Tasia
Hi Becci, while I haven't done it myself, I have had other readers make this recipe in their Kitchen Aid mixer. I would allow the butter and cream cheese to soften a little. Then treat it like a traditional cookie recipe ~ cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla, and add the dry ingredients last. I would also pop the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let it slightly firm up and get less sticky. Enjoy and happy baking!
Heidi ferreira
I’m a sucker for German chocolate! These were delish! Thanks lady!
Tasia
Yay! It makes me so happy to know you enjoyed them!! Thank you Heidi!
Nancy Parisi
I really liked this cookie....chocolaty enough. tender. However, I like bigger chunks of nuts, so I will use big chunks of nuts and unchopped coconut. I think I would also like a little blob of frosting on the top, too. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Tasia
Thank you for coming back to share your comment Nancy! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love the idea of using larger chunks and adding frosting!
Christie
They sound so good! I love German baked goods and I really love learning about them! Awesome that these are easy to make!
Tasia
Thanks Christie! I'm not sure these cookies actually fall under the category of German food, but they sure are yummy!
Nancy Parisi
I really liked these cookies. They were good tasting, and disappeared all too soon. I am looking forward to serving these to my quilt group....and expect raves. I do think that I am going to include the coconut and nuts in the batter, make a light frosting and sprinkle with more pecans, (too many goodies fell off while baking.) Thanks so much for positing this.
Tasia
I am happy to hear you enjoyed them Nancy! Thank you for coming back to share, I bet a frosting on them will be divine!