German Chocolate Brownies Recipe
In college, my roommate, Ashlee, was obsessed with German Chocolate Brownies. She got me hooked. They were ridiculous in the best way, of course–so chewy and delicious with the perfect amount of caramel-y toasted coconut and pecan goodness swirled into every bite.
She made them from a box mix–I can’t remember which brand, but she would bring one back almost every time she went home for a visit and was generous enough to share them with me when she made them.
Those were the days!
More Amazing Brownies
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
- Crazy Good Marshmallow Boxed Brownies
- Best Homemade Brownies Recipe
- Perfect Mint Brownies
- Crazy Good Whole Wheat Brownies with Fudge Frosting
- Rocky Road Brownies
Fast forward a decade or so…
I was pregnant and craving those very specific brownies, and to my horror, they had disappeared off the shelves.
I.could.not.find.them.anywhere!
I was so distraught.
I had to make do with regular brownies and very likely cried myself to sleep that night.
Even though I’m no longer pregnant and not having a crazy craving, I do think about those darn German Chocolate Brownies more often than, I am sure, is normal or healthy.
Who knows why it took me so long, but this week I was like, “Duh, Maria! Why don’t you make your own version?”
I jumped right to it, and holy smokes, folks! I hit it out of the park! These are just like the delicious German Chocolate Brownies from my past and SOOOOOO DAAANG GOOOOOOD!!!
I have included a few pictures below to help show you how to get the caramel coconut filling swirled in nicely and also a picture and some instructions for the toasted coconut.
How to Toast Coconut in the Microwave
- Put 1 cup of coconut into a glass microwave-safe bowl. I like to use my pyrex bowls.
- Cook on high for 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, remove and stir well.
- Repeat 2 times, and then cook for 15 second intervals, stirring in between until coconut is as toasted as you prefer.
How to Make German Chocolate Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix up brownie mix as directed above and pour into the prepared 9×13 pan.
- Next, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk, butter, and Karo syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches a full boil, continue boiling and stirring for exactly 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the toasted coconut and chopped pecans.
Next, drop coconut mixture by the spoonful evenly throughout the brownie batter. - Scoop large spoonfuls of filling onto brownie batter, evenly spaced apart.
- Use a butter knife to drag lines, one inch apart, back and forth across the pan like above, then turn the pan and do the same thing going the other length of the pan. It will look like the picture below.
- Sprinkle entire pan with coarse sea salt if desired.
- Next, bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before attempting to cut. They will be very gooey until they have cooled and set.
- Enjoy!
Tips for How to Make German Chocolate Brownies
- I sprinkled a little sea salt over everything before baking and ooo la, la. We have a winner!
- I have made these will all different brands of brownie mixes. In my opinion, they turn out the best with Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge flavor.
- Toasting the coconut in the microwave is quick and easy compared to doing it in the oven.
- If you want you can serve the brownies warm with ice cream, but you will need to scoop them out with a spoon because they will not be set yet.
Baker’s Tools for German Chocolate Brownies:
If you love German Chocolate Brownies, you'll love these...
- 1 regular brownie mix, prepared with ½ cup oil, ¼ cup water and 2 eggs (I prefer the Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix.)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tbsp light Karo Syrup
- 1 cup toasted coconut flakes (See post for instructions on how to toast coconut in the microwave.)
- ¼-1/3 cup chopped pecans
- coarse sea salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix up brownie mix as directed above and pour into the prepared 9x13 pan.
- Next, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk, butter, and Karo syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches a full boil, continue boiling and stirring for exactly 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the toasted coconut and chopped pecans.
- Next, drop coconut mixture by the spoonful evenly throughout the brownie batter. (See picture above in post.)
- Using a butter knife, cut lines into the batter going back and forth, one inch apart, and then across as well to create a swirled look.
- Sprinkle entire pan with coarse sea salt if desired.
- Next, bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before attempting to cut. They will be very gooey until they have cooled and set.
- If you want you can serve them warm with ice cream, but you will need to scoop them out with a spoon because they will not be set yet.
- Enjoy!
Brownies Recipes You've Gotta Try!
This is an excellent recipe. I can’t leave these alone. What a wonderful recipe. The next time I make it I’m going to try my own made from scratch brownie recipe.
My thoughts exactly Sue! I LOVE these brownies. I bet they will be even more fantastic with your homemade brownie recipe.
I have a can of German Chocolate frosting. Do you think it would work to use it?
Hmmm, that’s a good question. I think it’s definitely worth a shot. It will probably work great! If you end up trying it let me know how it turns out!
I want to make a double batch, can I use a large cookie sheet that has sides about an inch high?
Hi, Maria. We have never used a large cookie sheet with double the ingredients. If you do, I recommend checking the brownies after baking them for 20 minutes. With a larger pan, it won’t take as long to bake. Let us know how they turn out if you do.
Made two batches in 2 different pans instead. Cooling down now.
I, too, had fallen in love with those german chocolate brownies, and was so sad when they quit making them! I usually just buy turtle brownies & put german chocolate frosting on them, but it’s not the same. I’m thrilled to find your recipe, and am about to try it, thank you so much!
Melissa! You are going to be SO HAPPY! These are sooo close to the original and maybe even better. I love knowing I am not the only one who misses those brownies like crazy!
Ok I’ve attempted these twice & I cannot for the life of me get my filling to come out thick like yours 🙁 mine is runny & buttery. Am I not cooking it long enough? Should I wait until it thickens to stop boiling?
Interesting, it does sound like it may need to boil more. I would try that and see how they turn out.
Im no expert but I had an expert tell me to use good quality butter. The cheaper brands incorporate water into the butter, it’s not the same. Personally I like Irish butter but that’s just me…
These were a very easy, extremely delicious, irresistible company dessert! This will be my new potluck dessert recipe. I look forward to trying more of your recipes in the future. Thanks and God bless!
I was just thinking about these today and almost made them myself. They are soooo good. It always makes me a little sad that they are one of the least visited recipes on my site so I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you found them, tired them, and loved them as much as I do! 🙂
Oh my goodness I’m so glad I stumbled upon these! They are every bit as delicious as you promised! I will be making them again soon!
Yay!!! That makes me so happy! These really don’t get the love they deserve!
Made this (doubled) for an Oktoberfest dinner tonight. Served them warm, which was THE way to go. Mine were very “thin,” because I doubled the recipe and served in a huge lasagne pan. I think they were too thin, and burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan. But they were very tasty!
What a fun idea for Oktoberfest. In a larger pan the cooking time will need to be cut down. Glad they were still tasty!
We’ve loved the German chocolate brownies and we’re so sad when we couldn’t find them on the shelf anymore!! I’m soooo excited and happy about finding your recipe ~ THANK YOU!! I just put a batch in the oven for my son’s birthday! They were always his favorite!!!
Yay! I am so glad to know I’m not alone in mourning them not being available. And, I’m so glad you found my copycat! Hope your son loved them!
This May Be the best recipe I’ve ever made. Everyone I make It for just raves! They are incredible. If you like German Chocolate, your life isn’t complete without this recipe!
Thanks for the awesome review, Carol!