German Chocolate Frosting

Homemade German chocolate frosting is so much tastier than store bought, and it’s actually quite easy to make. Of course it’s perfect on German chocolate cake, but it’s also amazing on brownies, cupcakes, and cookies!

 If you’ve never tried from scratch coconut pecan frosting, get ready to be blown away – it is AMAZING!

I grew up only knowing homemade German chocolate frosting on cake and brownies. It’s one of my all time favorite frostings. I love it so much that it’s hard not to just eat it by the spoonful!

In college, I happened to try a brownie with canned coconut pecan frosting. Well let me tell you, they are not even in the same ballpark! That frosting was so sickeningly sweet that I couldn’t even finish the brownie. 

This version on the other hand?

• Buttery, caramel flavor that isn’t so sweet it hurts your teeth.
• Plenty of shredded coconut.
• Toasted pecans give it a perfectly nutty flavor and crunch.
• Thickened just with egg yolks, no artificial anything = rich flavor and creamy base. 
• Basically this stuff is good enough that it could be a dessert on its own. 🙂

HOW TO MAKE GERMAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1. In a medium sized heavy saucepan, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Add the butter.
2. Turn heat to medium. Cook and stir over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, or until thickened and light golden brown.
3. Remove from the heat, add vanilla, and let cool for about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature or chill.

Frosting will thicken as it cools, so to speed up the process, you can chill it.

Oh my gosh guys, this stuff is so, so good!

Does coconut pecan frosting need to be refrigerated?

It will last for a day or two at room temperature, but it’s best to store it in the refrigerator if you won’t eat it right away. Stored in an airtight container, it will last for up to a week in the refrigerator.

It’s best to let it come to room temperature before you spread it. Straight out of the fridge it is pretty stiff.

PRO TIPS:

• Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat. If the mixture gets hot too quickly, the eggs will cook and you will have bits of scrambled eggs in your frosting. Not good!
• I have found that adding the pecans while the mixture is piping hot causes the frosting to turn a brown color. I like the fresh looking golden color, so I like to let the egg sugar mixture cool slightly. 
• Yes, toasting the pecans really does pump up the flavor. But even if you don’t toast them, this frosting is lick the spoon clean delicious!

WAYS TO USE GERMAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

• Obviously it’s the perfect topping for German Chocolate Cake, but you can use it on any cake. 
• We love it even more on brownies. My husband often requests these German chocolate brownies for his birthday! 
• Use this chocolate cookie base, but instead of mint frosting, use this german chocolate icing. 
• Call me crazy, but I can even eat this stuff over a bowl of chocolate or vanilla ice cream. 

CRAZY FOR COCONUT? TRY THESE RECIPES:

• Coconut Brownies
• Chocolate Chip Coconut Scones
• Coconut Granola
• Easy Coconut Cake
• Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

FROSTING FOR GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

After one bite of this homemade coconut pecan frosting recipe, you are never going to want to go back to canned. I swear it is like a million times better!