These German Chocolate Brownies are healthy and so fudgy with deep chocolate flavor and a rich caramel coconut topping!
Are there ever too many variations on a good brownie? Well… I’m thinking most definitely not! While you’ll mostly find me firmly on the side of ‘don’t mess with a good thing’. Sometimes I like to hop sides and do just that – play around with the classics.
But really today’s brownies aren’t that far out. After all German chocolate cake isn’t that far from German chocolate brownies. And why not ditch the cake in favor of a moister more chocolatey base?!
So now that I’ve made my case for playing around with brownies, (again) I hope you’re on board too!
And we’re just talking brownies here – not adding anything to everyone’s beloved mac and cheese! If you want to spark a fun debate/heated conversation – just mention adding something to mac and cheese at your next dinner party.
Although maybe it’s just our food-crazy family that has such strong opinions! As you might guess, I’ve always been ‘team – just leave it alone, it’s good the way it is’.
But over the last couple of years, I’ve been changing my tune on that too. So I guess what I’m rambling on about is, you’re never too old to have new favorites!
How to make these German Chocolate Brownies
- Make the brownies and bake them. I like to use 2 strips of parchment placed crosswise so I can lift the brownies out when they’re cooled.
- While the brownies are cooling, make the German chocolate topping.
- Pour the caramel/coconut/pecan topping over the cooled brownies.
- Then chill the brownies until the topping solidifies for the easiest slicing.
- Or leave them at room temperature for 5-6 hours before serving. The topping will firm up a bit, but still be soft at room temperature.
And now for even more fun brownie inspiration
- Paleo S’mores Blondie Brownies
- Grain Free Cookie Dough Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse Brownies
- Deep Dish Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
- Flourless Brownies
- Paleo Caramel Apple Blondies
I hope you enjoy these as much as we have! If you make them, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here, and over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos.
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Healthy German Chocolate Brownies
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 – 2” brownies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Deeply chocolately brownies topped with a caramel, coconut, pecan topping!
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
1 cup cashew or almond butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 Tablespoon melted ghee, or butter
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
Caramel/Coconut Topping:
1/2 cup coconut cream, skimmed from the top of 1 refrigerated can coconut milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup or 4 Tablespoon ghee or butter
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup unsweetened toasted coconut, large flakes or finely shredded, see notes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease an 8″ baking pan. Cut 2 strips of parchment paper the width of the baking pan, then place them into the pan crosswise.
Mix together the cashew butter, maple syrup, egg, melted ghee/butter, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, vanilla, and sea salt until combined.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake until puffed in the middle but still moist, about 20 minutes.
Let the brownies cool while you make the caramel coconut topping. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the coconut cream, egg yolks, coconut sugar, vanilla, sea salt, and ghee/butter. Place the saucepan over a pan of simmering water to create a double boiler. Cook whisking constantly until the mixture is lightly bubbling and thick, about 7-10 minutes. Do not cook over direct heat or to a rolling boil as you risk scrambling the eggs in the topping.
When the topping has thickened, remove it from the double boiler and stir in the pecans and coconut flakes. Let the topping sit for 10 minutes or so to thicken up. Then pour the topping over the brownies.
Refrigerate until completely cooled and easily sliceable, 2-3 hours. Or let the brownies sit on the counter for 5-6 hours before serving. If the brownies are at room temperature, the topping will be on the softer side.
Refrigerate any leftovers for 2-3 days, or freezer for several weeks.
Notes
I used large flakes of unsweetened coconut for this recipe, but it’s really just a matter of preference. You can also use fine shred, but just make sure whatever you go with is unsweetened!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Baking
- Method: Stove top and oven
- Cuisine: American
Thank you for posting your scrumptious looking recipe! I have a question about the pan you use: is it a light colored aluminum, a dark metal, glass, ceramic, pyrex? And a removing-from-the-pan question: do you pull the brownie out of the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven (when the center is still jiggly) or after it’s had some amount of time to set?
Thank you again! Can’t wait to try this 🙂
The pan I’m using in the photos is a lightweight fairly thin metal pan, but you can also use glass, ceramic, or pryrex. The baking time may vary a bit on the longer side, just be careful to check to see if they’re puffed in the middle and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs, not raw batter. Also I allow the brownies to cool in the pan on a cooling rack until I pour the topping over them, then refrigerate still in the pan until firm. I hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious. Perhaps the best brownie I’ve ever tasted. Deep, nourishing, rich flavour. We substituted coconut sugar for maple syrup. Incredibly yummy, and (“)healthy(“) to boot.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, and I definitely need to try them out with coconut sugar next time around!
Amazing, delectable, delicious, however: how is butter Paleo?
Butter isn’t paleo, that’s why ghee is listed first, but not everyone has ghee around and butter does work in its place as well as coconut oil. I hope you get to enjoy these some time and be sure and let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks for the above response. I’m learning about and intrigued by Paleo, so thought I’d ask… (A “clarifying” question…) Thanks for answering. Delicious recipe, btw, just left a review.
No problem at all! I try and provide easy ingredients as a 2nd option in a lot of my recipes to make it easier for people, but unfortunately that does create a bit of confusion from a dietary perspective.
Decadent! This version sounds SO delish!!
Thank you!
I agree! ’tis!
I love German chocolate cake so I have to make these nooooooooow.
Me too, I just love the topping!
Absolutely divine! The delicious german chocolate topping and moist brownie go so well together!
Thank you! 🙂
Oh wow, these are amazing. Caramel and chocolate are just the best combo!
Thanks so much!
I’ve always been a fan of german chocolate cake so these are right up my alley!
Me too which is part of why I came up with a even fudgier version!
wow! they look really delicious, some great ingredients there and refined sugar-free!
Thanks so much!
There’s always room for another brownie variation! This one looks especially good, and I’m really excited to try it!
Agreed, never too many kinds of brownies!