German Chocolate Cookies

Did I tell you I LOVE chocolate?  I know, only every other post!  So when I told  you about Good Habit's cookies recently, it got me to thinking.  Their cookies are named after familiar desserts like Carrot Cake and Apple Pie Ala mode.  Since my favorite cake growing up was German Chocolate, I decided I wanted to try and recreate a similar taste treat in a cookie.  I love the gooey coconut and pecan topping!

Now if I had all the time in the world to spend in the kitchen, I would probably start a recipe such as this by blending various gluten free flours together.  I am not that person!  I work.  If you, like me, love to cook but don't have all day to spend making one batch of cookies, you will love this recipe.

German Chocolate Cookie

1 pkg Gluten-Free Brownie Mix (I used King Arthur Flour)
2 cups toasted coconut
2 cups pecans toasted and then chopped
2 eggs
8 Tablespoons butter

1-2 Tablespoons milk

Mix butter and eggs together with an electric mixer.  Stop mixer and add brownie mix.  Turn mixer on low till the mix starts to incorporate into the butter and eggs and then turn up to medium.  Mix only till fully incorporated.   Add coconut and pecans 1 cup at a time, blending slightly after each addition. 

Lay two pieces of plastic wrap out on your counter.  Place half of the batter on each sheet.  Wrap the two sections in the plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes if baking today.  Freeze completely if you want to bake them another day. 

Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Cut the batter with a sharp knife into even squares.  You can round the pieces slightly by rolling them in your hands before placing them on the parchment paper if you like.  I only did this with the pieces that were more rectangle than square. 

Place in 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes.  Cooking time will vary depending on the size you cut your squares.   You want to bake the cookies till they just begin to loose their shine.  Cool before removing from the parchment.  They peal off nicely when cooled completely. 

TIPS
Toasting Coconut: place coconut on a cookie sheet in a thin layer.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 4 minutes.  Watch it because it will burn quickly.
       
Toasting Pecans: My mother-in-law taught me to toast pecans by placing them on a paper towel and microwaving them.  I microwaved the nuts for this cookie 3 minutes, stirred them and then microwaved them in increments of 1 minute three more times for a total of 6 minutes.
       
Freeze: Freezing cookie dough is easy and brilliant!  Place the wrapped cookie dough in a freezer bag.  Mark the outside of the bag with the name of the cookie and it's cooking instructions.  My Mother-in-law pointed out that they're great when someone calls and says I'm going to be there in 30 minutes.  Simply turn your oven on, cut off a few cookies and bake.  You will have warm yummy cookies when your guests arrive and the house smells great! 

Mother-in-laws have great tips...listen to them!