The Best German Chocolate Brownies — Rich, ultra fudgy brownies topped with the best German chocolate frosting!! Sinfully delicious! Easy, no-mixer recipe that’s an automatic hit with everyone!!
Easiest German Chocolate Brownies
If my Turtle Brownies and Coconut Mounds Bar Brownies had a baby, this is what it would look like.
Dense, rich, ultra fudgy brownies topped with a coconut and pecan frosting that’s sweet and full of texture from shredded coconut and pecans.
I’m not sure why the ‘frosting’ on German chocolate cakes or brownies is called frosting when it’s more like a topping, but I’m not about to question the name of something that tastes so good.
I used chopped Fisher Pecans in the topping. Fisher Nuts is the only national brand of recipe nuts entirely without preservatives, making them an excellent choice for baking.
The brownies are an easy, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that’s as fast as using a boxed mix and they turn out fudgy with zero cakiness. It’s a brownie base I’ve fallen in love with because it’s easy and always delivers amazing results.
Ingredients in German Chocolate Brownies
To make these homemade chocolate brownies with German chocolate cake frosting, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Dark chocolate
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Brewed coffee
- Instant espresso granules
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Full-fat evaporated milk
- Light brown sugar
- Sweetened shredded coconut flakes
- Chopped Fisher pecans
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe card with exact measurements.
How to Make German Chocolate Brownies
This recipe for German chocolate brownies is so simple! Here’s an overview of how the brownies are made:
- Make the brownies: Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large bowl.
- Then, stir in the eggs, sugar, vanilla, coffee, and espresso granules. Whisk in the flour and salt last.
- Turn the brownie batter into a foil-lined 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until the center has just set and is no longer glossy.
- Make the frosting: To a medium saucepan, add the evaporated milk, butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, and salt.
- Heat over medium-low to low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.
The frosting takes less than 10 minutes to make. The hardest part is whisking it continuously, but I just considered that a mini arm workout before diving into these decadent brownies that are the best German chocolate brownies I’ve ever had.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, double the ingredients list and bake the brownies in a 9×13-inch baking dish. The bake time should be roughly the same.
Can I Use Sweetened Condensed Milk?
No! You MUST use evaporated milk to make the German chocolate cake frosting. Sweetened condensed milk is already sweetened and is supremely sticky, not at all what you want for the frosting.
Can the Brownies Be Made Gluten-Free?
I don’t dabble in gluten-free baking, but I’ve had readers report success using Cup4Cup gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Can I Use Another Type of Nut?
If you’re out of pecans or have an allergy, you can either omit them entirely or substitute them with walnuts. You won’t be making a traditional German frosting if you sub or omit the pecans, but do what you need to.
Tips for Making Fudgy German Brownies
You must line the baking pan with foil, otherwise the brownies will never come out.
After you’ve melted the butter and chocolate together, let the mixture cool off for a minute or two. If you add the eggs in too soon, you may scramble them.
Likewise, it’s important that you continually stir the German chocolate cake frosting. Whisk constantly or there’s a high likelihood you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in the bottom of your saucepan.
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The Best German Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 6 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus Bar)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon brewed coffee, leftover or cold coffee is okay, optional but recommended
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules, optional but recommended
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Topping/Frosting
- ½ cup 4 ounces full-fat evaporated milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened and quartered
- 2 large egg yolks, discard whites or save for another use
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes
- heaping 1/2 cup chopped Fisher Pecans, lightly toasted if desired
Instructions
Brownies:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, chocolate, and heat on high power to melt, about 2 minutes. Stop to check and stir after 1 minute. Heat in 15-second increments until chocolate has melted and mixture can be stirred smooth. Allow mixture to cool momentarily before adding the eggs so they don’t scramble.
- Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, optional coffee, optional espresso granules (neither make brownies taste like coffee and both enhance and round out the chocolate flavor), and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the flour, salt, and stir until smooth and combined without overmixing.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula as necessary.
- Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes, or until center has just set and is no longer glossy. A toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow brownies to cool in pan on top of a wire rack while you make the topping.
Topping/Frosting:
- To a medium saucepan, add the evaporated milk, butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, salt, and heat over medium-low to low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened. Whisk constantly or there’s a high likelihood you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in the bottom of your saucepan. The mixture should be boiling gently while whisking.
- Remove pan from the heat, add the vanilla, and whisk to combine using caution because the mixture could bubble up.
- Add the coconut, pecans, and stir to combine. Allow topping to cool in pan for about 5 minutes.
- Turn topping out over brownies, using a spatula to spread it as necessary.
- Allow brownies to cool uncovered for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. I prefer to cover the brownies with foil and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight because they’re much easier to slice when chilled and I prefer the taste when chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Brownie Recipes:
The Best Turtle Brownies — Super fudgy and loaded with chocolate, pecans and caramel! So.crazy.good!
Chocolate Coconut Mounds Bar Brownies — Like eating a Mounds candy bar that’s on top of rich, fudgy brownies! Easy and oh so good!
Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies – Fudgy brownies with a layer of cream cheese and tons of Oreos! They’ll be your new favorites!
Andes Mint Brownies – Super fudgy brownies loaded with Andes! Chocolate + mint is the best! Meet your new favorite brownies and so easy!
Salted Caramel Pretzel-Topped Fudgy Brownies — Super fudgy scratch brownies as easy as a mix and the salty-and-sweet combo is irresistible!
Loaded Fudgy Candy Bar Brownies — Perfect for using extra candy you have! There’s no such thing as too much chocolate!
Fudgy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies — Easy, one-bowl, no mixer brownies with a full-size PB cup in every brownie! As fast as using mix and tastes way better!
Homemade Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies – A dead ringer for the real thing and just so good!
Post is brought to you by Fisher Nuts. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #fisherunshelled
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher. The opinions and text are all mine.
When do you start timing topping from the start or after it begins to boil ?
You’re not really boiling it, you’re cooking it, and you’d want to cook it approximately 7-10 minutes, or until it begins to thicken up nicely. You’ll know; because you’ll be there whisking it nearly constantly and it will change noticeably.
I found this recipe several years ago, and made it for my new boyfriend at the time. Well, it’s been 5 years, that boyfriend is now my soon to be husband, and there are still requested EVERY YEAR for his birthday.
I am gluten free, so I sub cup 4 cup flour, but they turn out beautifully every. Single. Time. I did have one odd time when the frosting turned super yellow for some reason but they were STILL delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review and what a lovely story!! Wow! Congrats on your upcoming wedding and glad that he requests these every year on his birthday!
Also great to hear that you make them with GF cup4cup flour and they turn out great!
I found this recipe several years ago, and made it for my new boyfriend at the time. Well, it’s been 5 years, that boyfriend is now my soon to be husband, and there are still requested EVERY YEAR for his birthday.
I am gluten free, so I sub cup 4 cup flour, but they turn out beautifully every. Single. Time. I did have one odd time when the frosting turned super yellow for some reason but they were STILL delicious.
Hi!
I would love to make these in a 9×13 pan. How long would you suggest baking them for if I doubled it? Thanks so much!
Likely you shouldn’t have to bake for that much longer, it’s hard to say but I would just keep an eye on it. I haven’t done it this way myself so cannot say for sure.
Thank you! For others who may be curious, made a double recipe in 9×13 pan and they were done in 30 minutes.
Thanks for the info!
What is the weight for a stick of butter please. I’m in the UK?
I would just google it. It’s 1/2 cup butter.
These look amazing and I will be making them for my office Christmas party! I would like to double the recipe and bake them in a larger baking dish for a higher yield- do you think that will work??
I would double and bake in a 9×13, although I haven’t personally tried, I think that will be fine.
Hi Averie,
When I asked my son what he wanted me to bake, and I gave him several choices, he answered brownies. It didn’t matter what type of brownies, so I chose these. Boy, did I make a good choice!
I am big on using what I have on hand instead of buying extra items. I used Trader Joe’s 100% white whole wheat flour, because that’s what I had. But I did have to purchase; Fisher pecans, Ghirardelli premium baking bar 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate, and organic unsweetened coconut flakes. I felt there was enough sugar in the recipe. It turned out great! The perfect after dinner desert. Oh, and more thing, I do not own a 8X8 pan, but I do have a 9X9 pan. I was worried that the result was flat brown squares. But that was not the case at all. The outcome was fluffy, moist, chocolaty heaven!
Thanks again, Averie!