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October 29, 2015 19 Comments

German Chocolate Brownies



 

German-Chocoalte-Brownie-Recipe-real-life-dinnerIn college my roommate Ashlee was obsessed with German Chocolate Brownies. She got me hooked. 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

They were ridiculous, in the best way of course. So chewy and delicious with the perfect amount of caramel-y coconut and pecan goodness swirled into every bite.

German-Chocoalte-Brownie-Recipe
Those were the days!

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  picture and some instructions for the toasted coconut.

**To toast coconut in microwave, put one cup of coconut in a microwave safe dish. Cook on high for 30 seconds and then stir, repeat 2 times and then cook for 15 second intervals, stirring in between until coconut is as toasted as you prefer.

German-chocolate-brownies-best-brownies-on-earthGerman-Chocolate-Brownies-Recipe

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.German-Chocolate-Brownies-recipe-

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5.0 from 6 reviews
German Chocolate Brownies
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
45 mins
 
Chewy Chocolate Brownie swirled with caramel, coconut an pecans. 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 Mix. In my opinion they turn out the best with Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge flavor.
Author: Maria
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • 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 Karo Syrup
  • 1 cup toasted coconut flakes*see post for instruction to do toast coconut in the microwave
  • ¼-1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • coarse sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix up brownie mix as directed above and pour into a lightly greased (use cooking spray) 9x13 pan.
  3. In a small sauce pan 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 three minutes
  4. Remove from heat and stir in toasted coconut and chopped pecans.
  5. Drop coconut mixture by the spoonful evenly through out brownie batter. *See picture above in post.
  6. Using a butter knife, cut lines into the batter going back and forth, one inch apart and then accross as well to create swirled look.
  7. Sprinkle entire pan with coarse sea salt if desired.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool completely before attempting to cut. They will be very gooey until they have cooled and set.
  10. 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.
3.5.3251

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19 Comments

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19 Comments

  1. Sue

    May 15, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    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.

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      May 17, 2016 at 2:50 pm

      My thoughts exactly Sue! I LOVE these brownies. I bet they will be even more fantastic with your homemade brownie recipe.

      reply to this comment
      • Lisa Brackett

        February 28, 2021 at 4:13 pm

        I have a can of German Chocolate frosting. Do you think it would work to use it?

        reply to this comment
        • Maria

          March 1, 2021 at 5:43 am

          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!

          reply to this comment
  2. Melissa

    December 7, 2016 at 12:10 am

    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!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 7, 2016 at 1:48 pm

      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!

      reply to this comment
  3. Adrienne

    December 31, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    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?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 26, 2019 at 9:56 pm

      Interesting, it does sound like it may need to boil more. I would try that and see how they turn out.

      reply to this comment
    • Criss

      January 9, 2025 at 11:32 am

      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…

      reply to this comment
  4. T

    July 13, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    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!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      July 14, 2020 at 6:18 am

      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! 🙂

      reply to this comment
  5. Shanna

    January 30, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    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!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      January 31, 2021 at 5:45 pm

      Yay!!! That makes me so happy! These really don’t get the love they deserve!

      reply to this comment
  6. Tracy Morgan

    October 28, 2021 at 9:00 pm

    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!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      November 9, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      What a fun idea for Oktoberfest. In a larger pan the cooking time will need to be cut down. Glad they were still tasty!

      reply to this comment
  7. Julie

    June 8, 2022 at 8:55 am

    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!!!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      June 8, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      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!

      reply to this comment
  8. Carol

    May 26, 2024 at 6:55 am

    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!

    reply to this comment
    • Ann

      November 26, 2024 at 8:12 pm

      Thanks for the awesome review, Carol!

      reply to this comment

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Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


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