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These German Chocolate Brownies are a fudgy brownie topped with a to-die-for coconut pecan frosting!

german chocolate brownie with coconut pecan frosting on parchment paper

Can you believe I used to hate coconut? I look back on my coconut-free years and think about what I was missing.

Magic Bars.

Almond Joys.

Coconut Cupcakes.

I mean, what was I thinking?

You know what else I avoided like the plague because I *thought* I hated coconut? Coconut-Pecan Frosting, aka German Chocolate Frosting.

I mean really? I went 30 years of my life without knowing the wonderment of coconut pecan frosting? Or German Chocolate Cake?

Or, better yet, German Chocolate Brownies?

german chocolate brownie with coconut pecan frosting on parchment paper

I have years to make up for people. Decades! So I better get started.

First of all, I didn’t know wether or not I should call these Coconut Pecan Frosted Brownies or German Chocolate Brownies. We can call them both.

The brownie is my favorite brownie recipe. It’s rich and fudgy and tastes better than a box (I promise!) but is almost just as easy to make. I can never get enough brownies  – ever.

When I realized that one kind of frosting was lacking from my diet (this coconut pecan frosting) I decided to pair it with brownies. And that was a very, very good decision.

If you’ve never made coconut-pecan frosting, let me tell you about it. It’s a cooked frosting, and it has egg in it. (I know, weird right?) I was skeptical, since I’d never made it before, but I was wrong to be anything but sure about this frosting!

Besides egg yolks, the frosting has sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in it. Once boiled, these things form a thick and gooey sweet frosting. Then you stir in coconut and pecans and vanilla and magic happens. It’s like unicorns flew through the room with magical rainbow dust and sprinkled it over brownies.

Best. Frosting. Ever.

And now I want to put it on everything: cake, pie, cookies…

I have a lot of coconut loving time to make up for, after all!

german chocolate brownie with coconut pecan frosting on parchment paper

German Chocolate Brownies

4 from 1 vote
Fudgy rich brownies topped with coconut pecan frosting!

Ingredients
 

For the Brownies:

  • 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup butter1
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter sliced into tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the two baking chocolates and butter in a large, microwave safe bowl. Heat on HIGH power for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and cocoa and stir well. Add flour and stir carefully.
  • Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes, until a toothpick 2 inches from the outside of the pan comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
  • Make the frosting: Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture thickens and bubbles. Once it bubbles, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Cool about 1 hour, until the mixture is spreadable.
  • Spread frosting over the top of the cooled brownies. Cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Click here to see more of my ULTIMATE COCONUT recipes!

This post is part of the 1-year anniversary of the #chocolateparty!

The monthly chocolate party is hosted by my friend Roxana over at Roxana’s Home Baking. This month marks the one year anniversary of the chocolate party (a post each month where bloggers create sinful chocolate desserts) and we’re celebrating with a giveaway and blog party!

Check out Roxana’s version of my brownies here!

You might also like:

Oreo Truffle Brownies

Fudgy Brownies with Coconut Frosting

Sweets from friends:
Peanut Butter Black Bean Brownies by TidyMom
Dark Chocolate Toffee Brownie Brittle by Heather’s French Press
Browned Butter Brownies by Something Swanky

Last Updated on May 13, 2020



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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42 Comments

  1. I’m a bit disappointed in the brownies because they’re not fudgy. In fact, they’re a bit dry, I think. I made the mistake of not checking them before 20 minutes even though it says 25. I had a minor attack when I saw the hump in the middle. When they cooled and weren’t glossy looking on top , I had a let down feeling; I knew they weren’t going to be as yummy as described. That was after I stood at the stove stirring and waiting for bubbles to form. Never saw bubbles, but I stirred
    f o r e v e r….

    When I hit your link to your favorite brownies it wasn’t this recipe either 🙁

    I must say I enjoyed your writing and couldn’t wait to make them today 😉 Like Christmas, the anticipation was better than the unwrapping.

    1. There is a chance they were overbaked and that’s why they didn’t turn out fudgy. I’m sorry about that! Since I created this recipe, I’ve developed other ones I prefer, and I actually like this one in a 9×9 pan instead of a 9×13, makes them thicker. I just haven’t had a chance to update the recipe yet – it’s slow going work by myself.

  2. Did you intend to call for 3/4 c sugar in this recipe? not the 1 3/4 cups called for in your other brownie recipes?

  3. Dorothy, I just made these and I’m waiting for them to cool and the frosting to cool also, can’t wait to give them a try! Thanks for sharing this recipe, you are the queen of sweets!

  4. I never understood people who said they didn’t like coconut, until I read a book where the author compared eating coconut to the texture of chewing on cuticles. Ewwwww. Regardless, I love coconut and I love german chocolate frosting!