“I like people too much or not at all.”
When I was a kid, my Uncle Adam would make real good food. Every time we saw him he would make breakfast, lunch, or dinner and the occasional sweet treat. There are two sweet treats that I specifically remember him making: Eclairs and German Chocolate Cake. The German Chocolate Cake was my favorite.
If you have never hear of German Chocolate Cake here is the skinny: German Chocolate Cake is not a actually a German recipe. Rather, a chocolate maker from America named Samuel German came up with the dark baking chocolate that was used in the original cake recipe. That’s why it’s called a German Chocolate Cake! It’s just two layers of chocolate cake slathered with a gooey sweet pecan “frosting”. Now the frosting is not really a frosting. It’s really just an ultra thick custard with pecans tossed in. Yep, you read that right. No coconut flakes in this one. Most original recipes for German Chocolate Cake have shredded coconut it the topping but to put it simply, I don’t like coconut. Odd, I know, but true. So I just decided to omit it from this recipe.
This weeks recipe is obviously not a recipe for German Chocolate Cake. Instead, I decided to take that recipe that my uncle shared with me and turn it into brownies! So here they are: German Chocolate Brownies. They are rich, decadent, and soooo satisfying. There is layer fudgey brownies topped with a layer of the German Chocolate Cake topping, AKA German Pecan Topping— that’s what I call it anyways. And you guys! These are so delicious! They are extremely decadent so make sure you cut small brownies and get a glass of milk to eat them with.
This recipe of course requires you to make homemade brownies. Don’t be intimidated! It’s actually very easy to do and doesn’t take much longer than whipping up a box of brownies. And trust me, it is so worth it to make them homemade. I can never go back to boxed brownies after making them from scratch. Come on, be the cool person who makes brownies from scratch!
Now on to the topping. The German Pecan Topping is just a mixture of evaporated milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and pecans. It sounds a little weird at first but trust me, it tastes like caramel! Of course I just add pecans but if you really want to, you can add in shredded coconut . I would reduce the pecans by half a cup and add in one cup of shredded coconut. You do you. All you have to do is let the brownies cool after baking (yes, leave them in the pan!) and pour the German Pecan Filling on top. I like to let it sit in the fridge for an hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden a bit so you get sharp cuts. Et voila! Some of the best brownies you will ever eat.
If you try this recipe, or any recipe from the blog, please let me know! I would love to hear from you. Share your photos with me on Instagram @persona.kitchen and follow along there or on Pinterest too! Happy baking everyone!
German Chocolate Brownies
Makes a 9x13 inch pan of Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies
1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Cocoa Powder
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 ½ Teaspoon Espresso Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
14 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, plus extra for pan
2 Cups (300 g) Dark Chocolate Wafers or Chips
⅔ Cup White Granulated Sugar
1 ¼ Brown Sugar, tightly packed
4 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Maldon Salt Flakes, for sprinkling
For the German Chocolate Topping
1 ½ Cup Evaporated Milk (12 ounce can)
1 ½ Cup Brown Sugar, packed
12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
5 Egg Yolks
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Pecans, roughly chopped
Directions
Make the Brownies
Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9x13” baking pan with room temperature butter (1-2 tablespoons) and line with parchment paper so that there is a 2 inch over hang on the long sides— this will make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan later on.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, espresso powder, and baking powder until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a heat proof bowl, add the chocolate wafers or chips and butter. Place the bowl over a pot filled with about 2 inches of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Turn the heat to medium and, stirring occasionally, heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is silky smooth— about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool while you work on the next step.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in the eggs, both sugars, and vanilla extract. Turn the speed to high and whisk until the mixture is pale, fluffy and doubled in volume— 4-5 minutes. This step is crucial to get that shiny/crackly top on the brownies.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully pour in the chocolate/butter mixture. Turn the speed back up to medium-high speed and mix until evenly combined— about 30 seconds.
Take the bowl off the mixer and add in the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined— about 30 seconds— just until no large lumps remain. Do not over-mix or the brownies will be tough.
Transfer the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the top with a little bit of flaky salt.
Bake the brownies for 23-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let the brownies cool while you prepare the German Pecan Topping.
Prepare the German Pecan Topping
In a large saucepan, combine the evaporated milk, brown sugar, cubed butter, egg yolks, and sugar. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened— about 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans until everything is evenly combined. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
Assemble the German Chocolate Brownies
With the brownies still in the pan, pour the German Pecan Topping on top and spread into a even layer.
Place the pan in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
Using the overhang of parchment paper (I told you that would come in handy later on!) remove the brownies from the pan and place on a cutting board.
Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies— you should get about 18 total.
Enjoy!