These German Chocolate Cookies started with one simple thought: Chocolate, coconut, pecans, and caramel would taste incredible together in one of my giant bakery-style cookies.
I absolutely love German chocolate cake. Honestly, I love coconut pecan caramel anything, so recreating those flavors in cookie form sounded too yummy not to try.
These German Chocolate Cookies have a rich chocolate dough filled with dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and optional pecans. Each giant cookie has a soft caramel tucked inside, creating a warm, gooey center when you break it open.
Sometimes a cookie doesn’t need a complicated story behind it. Sometimes it just needs to sound delicious.
Why I Created These German Chocolate Cookies
German chocolate cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. I love the chocolate cake, but it’s the coconut, pecans, and caramel-like topping that really make it special to me.
One day, I started thinking about how good those flavors would be in a cookie. I could picture a thick chocolate cookie filled with dark chocolate chips, plenty of coconut, crunchy pecans, and a soft caramel center.
That was all the inspiration I needed.
These German Chocolate Cookies aren’t meant to be an exact copy of the cake. They’re my cookie version of the flavors I love most about it.
There’s also an interesting story behind the name. German chocolate cake didn’t actually come from Germany. It was named after Samuel German, who developed a sweet baking chocolate for the Baker’s Chocolate Company. You can read more about the history of German chocolate cake from West Texas A&M University.
What Makes These German Chocolate Cookies So Good?
This recipe begins with the same type of thick chocolate cookie dough I use for many of my giant cookies.
Unsweetened cocoa powder gives the dough its chocolate flavor, while dark chocolate chips create pockets of melted chocolate throughout each cookie. Shredded coconut and pecans bring in the familiar flavors of German chocolate cake.
Then there’s the caramel center.
Each five-ounce cookie is wrapped around a piece of soft caramel. When the cookie is warm, the caramel becomes soft and gooey inside.
You can also finish the cookies with more dark chocolate chips, chopped pecans, toasted coconut, or a light drizzle of caramel.
Gooey Caramel-Stuffed German Chocolate Cookies
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup margarine, melted
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, leveled, plus more if needed
- 3 cups dark chocolate chips
- Approximately 1 cup shredded coconut, or measure with your heart
- Chopped pecans, optional
- Homemade or store-bought soft caramels
- Toasted coconut for topping, optional
- Milk, only if needed
How to Make German Chocolate Cookies
1. Mix the butter and sugars
In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, melted margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until everything is fully incorporated.
2. Add the dry ingredients
Add the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and six cups of flour.
Mix until a thick chocolate cookie dough forms. Gradually add more flour if needed.
I start with six cups because I’ve found that my dough doesn’t always need exactly the same amount of flour. Add more gradually only if the dough needs it.
3. Add the chocolate, coconut, and pecans
Stir in the dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans.
The pecans are optional, but I love what they add to the cookies. They provide a little crunch and help bring in more of that traditional German chocolate cake flavor.
I usually add about one cup of coconut, although this is one of those ingredients I tend to measure with my heart. If the dough looks like it could use a little more, I add more.
If the dough seems dry or crumbly and won’t hold together, add milk one tablespoon at a time. Stop as soon as the dough comes together. You don’t want it to become overly soft or sticky.
4. Stuff the cookies with caramel
Using a large four-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out two scoops of dough for each cookie. Together, the dough should weigh approximately five ounces.
Gently flatten the dough and place a piece of soft caramel in the center.
Carefully wrap the dough around the caramel. Seal the sides and bottom completely so the caramel doesn’t leak out while baking. Leave only a very small vent at the top.
5. Add the toppings
Press a few additional dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans into the top of each dough ball, if desired.
You can also add toasted coconut before or after baking. Coconut can brown quickly, so watch it carefully if you add it before the cookies go into the oven.
6. Bake the cookies
Arrange the dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Leave plenty of room between them because these are very large cookies.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 16 to 18 minutes. If you’re baking at elevations above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven and cookie size.
Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. The cookies will be delicate, and the caramel center will be extremely hot.
This recipe makes approximately two dozen large (5-ounce) cookies or four dozen regular-sized cookies.
Ingredient Measurements by Weight
If you prefer weighing your main ingredients, these are the measurements I use:
- Brown sugar: 789 grams
- Granulated sugar: 189 grams
- Eggs: 253 grams
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: 88 grams
- All-purpose flour: 1,272 to 1,412 grams
I don’t usually weigh the remaining ingredients because they’re easy to measure.
And when it comes to the coconut, I’m perfectly happy measuring with my heart.
Bake One Test Cookie First
My best tip for making these German Chocolate Cookies is to bake one cookie before you put an entire pan in the oven.
Start with six cups of flour, assemble one stuffed cookie, and bake it.
If the cookie spreads too much, add a little more flour to the remaining dough. If it holds its shape and has a crisp outside with a soft and chewy center, you’re ready to bake the rest.
I’ve learned that my dough doesn’t always behave exactly the same from one batch to the next. Baking one test cookie makes it easy to adjust the dough before the rest of the batch goes into the oven.
It’s a simple step, but it can save a lot of disappointment.
Choosing Caramel for Stuffed Cookies
Soft caramels work best for these German Chocolate Cookies.
If you’re using individually wrapped store-bought caramels, unwrap them before you begin shaping the dough. Preparing everything ahead of time makes assembling a large batch much easier.
Very firm caramels may stay too chewy or become hard again after the cookies cool. A homemade caramel or soft store-bought caramel will give you a gooier center.
Be sure the dough is sealed carefully around the caramel. If there’s an opening along the side or bottom, the caramel may leak onto the cookie sheet.
A tiny vent at the top is fine, but the rest of the cookie should be completely sealed.
Adding Toasted Coconut
Toasted coconut adds another layer of flavor and looks beautiful on top of German Chocolate Cookies.
Spread shredded coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Place it in a low oven and stir it occasionally so it browns evenly.
Don’t wander too far from the oven. Coconut can go from lightly golden to burned surprisingly quickly.
You can sprinkle toasted coconut over the cookies after baking. If you want to help it stay in place, drizzle a little caramel over the tops first, then add the coconut while the caramel is still warm.
Making Smaller German Chocolate Cookies
You don’t have to make these into five-ounce cookies.
For smaller German Chocolate Cookies, I recommend skipping the stuffed center. It can be difficult to fit enough dough around a caramel without it leaking during baking.
Instead, make smaller chocolate cookies filled with dark chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Once they’ve cooled slightly, drizzle caramel over the tops and add toasted coconut.
You’ll still get all those delicious flavors, but the smaller cookies will be easier to shape and bake evenly.
Smaller cookies will need less baking time. Bake one test cookie and watch it carefully to determine the right time for your oven.
High-Altitude German Chocolate Cookies
At lower elevations, I recommend starting at 350°F. I bake at just over 4,000 feet, where I’ve found that 325°F works well for my giant German Chocolate Cookies. Every oven behaves a little differently, so use your test cookie to determine the best baking time for your kitchen.
The edges should look set while the middle still looks slightly soft. The cookies will continue to bake as they rest on the hot cookie sheet.
Try not to overbake them. That soft and chewy center is part of what makes them so good.
Storing and Freezing German Chocolate Cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely before placing them in an airtight container.
Because of the caramel center, I especially love these when they’re warmed slightly before serving. My favorite way to reheat them is in the oven so the cookie warms gradually and the caramel becomes soft and gooey again.
Be careful when biting into a reheated cookie. Caramel can become extremely hot even when the outside of the cookie only feels warm.
The baked cookies can also be frozen. Wrap them individually or place parchment paper between the layers, then store them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
To serve from frozen: These cookies are fully baked before being frozen, so you are simply reheating them, not baking frozen cookie dough. Place the frozen, fully baked cookie in a cool oven, turn the oven to 350°F, and warm for approximately 8 minutes for a small cookie or 10 to 12 minutes for an extra-large cookie.
If baking the cookie dough from frozen: If you choose to freeze the unbaked cookie dough instead, you will need to add at least 2 minutes to the original baking time. Watch the cookies closely and bake until they are done.
More Cookie Baking Tips
For even more of the things I’ve learned through years of baking big, thick cookies, read my Tips for the Perfect Cookie for help with flour, spreading, texture, baking times, and more.
Another Chocolate and Coconut Cookie to Try
If chocolate and coconut is your kind of combination, try my Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Crunch Cookies next. They’re another rich chocolate and coconut cookie, but this time the center is filled with creamy coconut and crispy toasted kataifi for a completely different kind of crunch.
Explore More Bakery-Style Cookie Recipes
These German Chocolate Cookies are just one of the flavor combinations I’ve dreamed up by turning something I already love into a giant cookie. You can browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for more stuffed cookies, chocolate-loaded favorites, seasonal creations, family recipes, and plenty of unexpected flavor combinations.
German Chocolate Cookies for Anyone Who Loves the Cake
I didn’t create these German Chocolate Cookies because of a holiday or special occasion. The combination simply sounded too good not to try.
I love German chocolate cake, and putting those flavors into one of my giant bakery style cookies made perfect sense to me.
The rich chocolate dough, dark chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, and gooey caramel center come together in one very decadent cookie.
Sometimes that’s all the reason a new cookie needs.
What’s your favorite part of German chocolate cake, the chocolate cake or the coconut pecan topping?
Making every house feel a little more like home.
