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