German Chocolate Brownies – The BEST brownies loaded with chocolate, caramel and an amazing coconut pecan frosting. Super rich and full of chocolate goodness!
I’m a brownie lover through and through. I can’t get enough of the fudgy texture and rich flavor. These German chocolate brownies are one of my favorite variations, as well as cheesecake brownies, chocolate caramel brownies, mint brownies and fudge brownies with chocolate frosting.
So I came up with the most AMAZING dessert recipe a few weeks ago….German chocolate BROWNIES! My family loves German chocolate cake and I do too, but mainly because of the frosting! The frosting is DIVINE! I eat it by the spoonful, although I probably shouldn’t admit that. ;)
I’m not really the biggest cake lover, but brownies are a whole different story! So I decided to combine my love of brownies, chocolate, caramel and coconut frosting to create these naughty little treats. They are super rich and full of chocolate goodness! Trust me, you’ll want to file this German chocolate brownie recipe away!
Ingredients
If you know me, you know I’m all about dressing up a box of cake mix or brownie mix. It helps simplify the baking process and still turns out so delicious. That’s why I used premade brownie mix in this German brownie recipe. It makes it so simple and gives you time to focus on the homemade coconut pecan frosting.
German chocolate brownies
- Brownie mix
- Caramel bits
Coconut pecan frosting:
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Evaporated milk
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Flaked coconut
- Pecans
How to make German chocolate brownies
Scroll down for the printable German chocolate brownie recipe and video tutorial.
- Bake brownies. Bake brownies according to package and cool completely.
- Melt caramel bits. Add caramel to microwave safe bowl and melt in microwave for 1 minute. Drizzle melted caramel over brownies.
- Make frosting. Combine butter, egg yolks, sugar, milk and vanilla in large saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, until thickened. Stir constantly. Then mix in coconut and pecans.
- Spread on frosting and add toppings. Spread frosting on top of caramel layer. Top with melted chocolate and pecans if desired. Before cutting you may want to refrigerate to harden a bit.
Baking tips
- I used brownie mix to make this recipe a little easier, but feel free to make homemade brownies if you prefer.
- Use fresh flaked coconut to make the coconut pecan frosting – it definitely makes a difference!
- Don’t have caramel bits? Try making your own homemade caramel sauce.
- For my chocolate lovers: drizzle chocolate on top of the brownies (before the caramel) or add chocolate chips to the brownie batter.
- I like to top my brownies with melted chocolate or chocolate sauce and pecans.
- I recommend refrigerating the brownies after frosting and adding toppings. They are easier to cut when hardened.
German Chocolate Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 18 ounce brownie mix
- 1 cup caramel bits
Coconut Pecan Frosting:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (make sure it's fresh)
- 1 cup pecans (chopped)
Instructions
- Bake brownies according to package in a 9x9" pan. Allow to cool.
- Melt caramel bits in microwave for 1 minute and drizzle over brownies.
- Make frosting by combining butter, egg yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes (make sure to stir consistently). Add coconut and pecans.
- Spread frosting over top of caramel. Top with melted chocolate and pecans if desired. Allow to cool before slicing. Then slice into 16 squares.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Mmm… German Chocolate Brownies!! Don’t you want to just take a bite?! Grab a cup of milk, you’re going to need it with these bad boys!
I find this recipe confusing. You say to use 2 boxes of mix, yet in the video you are clearly using only 1. Looks like you are using an 8×8 square pan. You only empty 1 bag of brownie mix into the mixing bowl in the video. How can this be 2 boxes of mix???? You go on to make the frosting as stated so how could I use 2 boxes of mix in a 9×13 and have the recipe for the frosting cover that much when you clearly use a smaller pan in the video? This makes no sense to me unless you actually fill just a square pan with 2 batches of brownie mix but, then you couldn’t bake according to the instructions because the batter is too thick for such a small pan. Can you please clarify in detail?
In the video it looks like a square pan is used. is that halving the recipe? With 2 boxes of brownie mix are we using a 9×13? Thanks. I have everything I need to make them. German Chocolate is my husband’s favorite
Yes, a 9×13 will work great! :)
Hi, I made this twice and both times the sides were crispy or hard. How do I back 2 boxes of brownies in a 9×13 pan and not have it get hard around the edges? We love this recipe and will make it often, but I would like to make it with out hard edges lol.
You could try lowering the temperature to see if that helps! :)
I’m the brownie making queen in our family and I’m always looking for a great new brownie recipe and I can tell you – THIS IS IT. We like the chewy texture of the brownie and the melted caramel on top makes it even better. I follow the recipe exactly and they turn out perfect every time.
These are amazing! The frosting is definitely a labor of love but worth it in the end. It took me 40-50 minutes on medium heat to get the frosting to a thicker consistency, so don’t give up on it! I will make these again!