August 28th, 2009 
duodishes 
There are many ways to replicate a favorite food or drink in the form of a cookie. Cakes, pies and even cocktails are popular starting points. We’ve already done carrot cake cookies, which are very popular. We have a few more on the list we’d like to try like apple pie, strawberry shortcake, lemon meringue and pecan pie too. We decided to start with german chocolate cake. We found a recipe that seemed like it’d work just perfectly with a few tweaks, and so we got to work adapting a new version. Into the oven went lovely mounds of chocolate batter, but what came out wasn’t exactly what we expected to see or taste.
These did not have the consistency or exact taste of german chocolate cake in the least, but they were good nonetheless! They do not have a ‘cakey’ texture, but we expected that from the small amount of flour. They did have a fudgey middle interior, which was very tasty. Perfect, in fact, if you ate them straight from the oven. The final product was more akin to a brownie-like cookie–deep and rich with a chocolately, nutty interior. Chocolate cookies can be tricky and easy to burn. The outsides should look crackly and shiny, while the middles may still be soft. It’s even better to slightly undercook these, so they do not get too crispy.
German Chocolate Cake Cookies – Approx. 24-30 cookies (Adapted from LA Times)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sweet coconut flakes, toasted
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Stir until most of the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.
2. Beat eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until frothy. Whisk in sugar until blended.
3. Pour in chocolate and stir until incorporated.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, coconut and pecans and add to wet ingredients until well combined.
5. Drop by the half tablespoon onto parchment paper lined sheets and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Click HERE for the printable recipe.
Voting for the 2009 Black Weblog Awards ends on August 31st! You got us to the finalist round, and we need your last vote to help us win Best Food Blog. Just click the icon below!
Posted in 
Mmm. Chocolate, my favorite. These look really good. I must try them.
I especially like the idea of cookies inspired by the flavors of a cocktail!
I definitely learned the “slightly undercooked” tip the hard way… I love the idea of cake flavors in cookies. Because it’s hard for two people to eat a whole cake! But we can eat– and give away– cookies!!
They sound delish!
Wow those cookies look delicious. I could eat the photo alone. I love german chocolate cake, so having it condensed into a nice, dense cookie is a wonderful idea.
I have to admit I’ve never really had a love for german chocolate cake. I think the fact that it was often requested in my childhood (when I was pickier than I am today) probably did it in for me. I too love a kind of shape shifting that comes from taking a recipe that yields one form into another. I’ve also been meaning to make strawberry shortcake cookies. Martha Stewart has a version that seems to be getting rave reviews on other blogs.
Oh wow those look so intense and good!
Love the title of this post … and it goes without saying that I’d love the cookies too. Especially warm from the oven and slightly undercooked. Yum!
great idea and ye cookies sound magnificent!!
Amazingly delicious looking cookies. never seen recipe like it before, has pecan and toasted coconut. Much more intriguing then just another choc cookies.
You had me at german chocolate cake! How could anything inspired by that turn out badly?
A brownie diguised as a cookie? Sounds perfectly wonderful to me! Beautiful, yes -disaster, no.
I love German chocolate cake, but have never tried it with carrot before. Man, that looks good. Pass me a piece, would ya?
oh my geeeee those cookies look amazing and chocolatey! my kind of cookies
If you call that disaster, your standards are tooo high! They look incredibly tasty
THey look so tempting! I shouldn’t have learnt how to make these. Noone can stop me making these so often now!
disaster? they sound and look really good to me!
Ooh ooh! a la mode please!
Yum … these look fantastic!
K
These look pretty perfect to me – pure chocolate goodness, yes!
I came here because I heard of a disaster
I want some I want some I want some. Do you ship?
Chocoholic heaven! They look rich and delicious!
These look BETTER than German chocolate cake. After all, you can hold one of these in your hand. You can’t do that with cake — well, unless you want a very messy hand.
They look so rich and tasty – nice job!
Chocolate and coconut- the perfect combo! Your treats always look mouthwatering good.
How much fun! The cookies do look nice and fudgey! I’m interested in the apple pie cookies you’re gonna attempt
)
These look great and just how I like my cookies to be. Yum and I wish I had some now to munch in front of the telly.
I think I’d take these over the cake any day. Dark chocolate and fudgey with a touch of coconut- perfect.
[...] A Beautiful Disaster « The Duo Dishes duodishes.com/2009/08/28/a-beautiful-disaster – view page – cached #The Duo Dishes RSS Feed The Duo Dishes » A Beautiful Disaster Comments Feed The Duo Dishes What Do You Do With A White Pumpkin? A Little Sweet and — From the page [...]
Why is there coconut in “German” cakes and things? Coconuts do not grow in Germany and I have never, ever understood it.
I totally love the look of these cookies. They look so yummy.
Some of the best recipes come from kitchen blunders, accidental ingredient gaffs, OR, just something not turning out the way it’s supposed to, but into something new and even better. Love when that happens, and your cookies are an attestment to that. They look amazing aka to die for. Will be adding these to my cookie repertoire!
Disaster, I think not, when chocolate cookies are involved it can’t be bad!
Those look delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
You had me at “fudgey interior!” They look amazing to me!
These look like a “beautiful” mistake to me! I’ll be trying the recipe soon-
I did carrot cake cupcakes on my blog. I think anytime you take carrot cake out of it’s usual context of a cake, pure genius unfolds!
Oh man, that looks good. I’m not chocolate fanatic, but I got hit by a chocolate craving last week and a cookie this dark with soft center and crackly exterior would have been perfect. I’ll have to remember this the next time the need arises.
disasters like like I would love them all the time ..well look at that delicious xxx
Ouch! My diet!!!