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German Chocolate Cookie Bars have a chewy chocolate cookie layer topped with gooey homemade German chocolate coconut frosting.
These German chocolate cookie bars are perfectly chewy with a crunchy, yet gooey coconut frosting topping. They are heavenly and SO EASY to make! No joke, I’ve probably made these at least 5 times since the beginning of the year! They are THAT good. Oh, and did I mention they are super EASY to make? I almost always have all the ingredients on hand, so I make these whenever I have a sweet tooth but don’t want to make a trip to the store.
Ingredients in German Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Cake Mix – You can use German chocolate cake mix, devil’s food cake mix, or any other chocolate cake mix.
- Butter – Unsalted works best for this recipe.
- Eggs – You need one for the crust and one for the filling.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans
- Shredded coconut
- Milk chocolate chips – You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
How to Assemble German Chocolate Bars
- Prepare the crust according to the directions below.
- Combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg, pecans and coconut and pour evenly over the warm crust. You can heat this mixture in a saucepan over medium heat until just hot but we have found that it works best pouring the mixture directly over the warm chocolate crust.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.
- Bake until the top is a light golden brown. Cool completely before serving.
German Chocolate Cake Mix vs Devil’s Food Cake
As noted in the recipe, you can use either a German chocolate cake mix or a devil’s food cake mix. Originally I only used German chocolate cake mix (hence, the name of the recipe). Once, however, when I was craving these, all I had in the pantry was a devil’s food cake mix. I tried it out and haven’t gone back since! The cookie bars came out more moist and with a richer flavor. Because I made this discovery months after the recipe was posted the first time, it was too late to change the name.. so we still call them German Chocolate Cookie Bars. But (in a whispered voice)…we really like them best when they are “Devil’s Food Cake bars with coconut topping.” Both ways are delicious so if you want to keep with the German theme, feel free to stick with it. You really can’t lose.
Making German Chocolate Bars From Scratch
No box cake mix? No problem! You can make the chocolate cake mix in this recipe from scratch. Here’s what you need:
- 2 cups cake flour (all purpose flour will work fine if you don’t have cake flour)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir well and use this cake mixture in place of the box cake mix.
Variations and Additions
- Caramel – Drizzle melted caramel over the top.
- Almonds – For more of a crunch you can use chopped almonds instead of pecans.
- Easter style – Toss the coconut in a tiny bit of green food coloring for an Easter twist. Add chocolate Cadbury Mini Eggs over the top as another fun addition.
- Fruity – Add in some dried cherries or cranberries to the brownie batter.
- Spice – For extra warmth in this cookie, you can add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Extra chocolate – Add a handful of chocolate chips to the brownie batter for an even chewier, fudgier brownie layer.
Tips for Storing German Chocolate Bars
To ensure you’re getting the longest shelf life from these yummy cookie bars, here are some quick tips for storage:
- Make sure the bars are cooled completely before storing.
- Store the bars in an airtight container or Ziplock bag at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- You can also pop them in the refrigerator where they’ll stay fresh for about a week.
- Freeze leftovers too! Wrap the bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for a couple of months. If you’re freezing more than one layer, place a piece of parchment paper in between the layers of brownies so they don’t stick together. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter until they’re room temperature.
More Favorite Cookie Bar Recipes
You can’t go wrong with these delicious German Chocolate Cookie Bars but if you are looking for MORE delicious treats like this one, give some (or all) of these a try:
- Caribbean Coconut Fudge Bars: These tasty bars come straight from St. John’s in the Caribbean. Chocolate and coconut are ALWAYS a winning combination! You will love all the delicious layers of these bars!
- Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars: Craving a taste of the islands but looking for something more on the fruity side? You have GOT to try these coconut lime cheesecake bars. One of the most popular recipes on our site!
- Coconut Pecan Cookie Bars: These cookie bars are SO easy to whip up. No cake mix needed! Only a few easy ingredients and you’ve got yourself a dessert in about 30 minutes!
- Peanut Butter Bars: Better than your lunch lady used to make!
- We have MANY MANY more cookie and bar recipes. Try some and let us know your favorites!
How to Make German Chocolate Cookie Bars
German Chocolate Cookie Bars
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 box devil's food cake mix not the kind with pudding added* (or German chocolate cake mix. See notes above)
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 large egg
Filling:
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (fat free works great too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan (I used non-stick cooking spray).
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter and egg.
- Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. The crust should not come up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and remove from the oven. The crust will not look done.
- While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg, pecans and coconut.
- Pour evenly over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Any kind of chocolate cake mix will work for this recipe. Or you can make your own cake mix from scratch! Use 3 ½ cups of our homemade cake mix and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
- Try drizzling a little caramel over the top to add a decadent touch
- To freeze, place finished bars in an airtight freezer-safe container. Separate bars by wrapping individually or separating with parchment paper.
This is not GERMAN Chocolate Bars this is Deviled Food Bars. German Chocolate cake is a type of chocolate named for a man whose last name is German. So you would need to use a GERMAN Chocolate cake mix for this to fall under that category!
German chocolate is a fairly common colloquialism for desserts that have chocolate, coconut and nuts. If it makes you feel better, just buy the cake mix that says German chocolate on the label. Amazing what people find to grouse about these days . . .
Seriously? SMH.
Is it supposed to look under baked when you take it out after the 30 min bake time?
You may want to keep it in a little longer and keep checking every few minutes
I made these yesterday with a German chocolate cake mix and an entire 12 oz. package of milk chocolate chips on top. WOWZA! They are GREAT. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So glad you liked them! 😀
They are delicious!! I will be making them again.
I forgot to buy stick butter can I use crock butter?
If it is “real” butter, than sure, crock butter should be ok!
I used German Chocolate pudding cake and it turn out a little more than golden brown and a little burnt around the edges, otherwise it was still very good. Very easy to make.
Where is the German chocolate? Why call them German Chocolate Bars when there isn’t any German chocolate?
After reading all comments, I am going try this. Making cookies, fudge, etc for Christmas gifts. This will be a good addition
I am making these at 10:00 pm. They smell so good right now. Thanks for the recipe. Mine are taking a bit longer to cook as I used homemade sweetened condensed milk which was a bit thinner.
do these bars need to be stored in refrigerator or room temperature ?
They don’t need to be stored in the refrigerator unless you prefer to serve them cold. I think they taste best at room temperature. Thanks for asking!
may I substitute German chocolate mix for Devils food? Tx.
Yes, you can use either one and it will turn out great!
I made these today for my daughter to take to school for a party in her German class. I omitted the nuts due to obvious reasons (never knowing if their is a nut allergy in the bunch). Went together really quick and are baking now.
Hey I am planning to make these soon, they look absolutely amazing! I have one question when I mix the cake mix with butter and eggs, do I use a mixer, or do I use a spoon
You can use either…. but a mixer would be much easier!
I am so excited to make these but realized I bought the Devils Food with the pudding mix added. Will it ruin the recipe?
No, that is totally fine. It will still be great! 🙂
I am not a cook or a baker. I wish the directions stated that the crust needed to be cooled before putting the condensed milk mixture on it. What I thought was going to be a easy delicious desert just landed in the trash. Total disaster.
You are supposed to put it over the warm crust… it should be slightly undercooked. You don’t cut the bars until they are cooled or they will be too gooey.
How long do you usually wait until it’s completely cool?
Usually 30-60 minutes. Sometimes I will put them outside on a cold day and they will cool quicker. Thanks for asking!
Just came across this image and recipe (taken FROM you) on a Facebook page with no link or mention of where it was taken from.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=535216393195543&set=a.529893487061167.1073741826.529892423727940&type=1
um yes please!
Wow! These look so good. I love to make cookie bars. They are so easy!
Mmmmm these look so good, so obsessed with chocolate :/ oh and I still can’t believe I won your iPad mini giveaway, thank you so much.
It’s on it’s way!!!
I’ve made something very similar to these before and they’re super good! Thanks for reminding me of this great recipe!