These Vegan German Chocolate Cookies are like small individual German Chocolate Cakes! A soft, chewy chocolate oatmeal cookie with a rich caramel coconut pecan filling in the middle! Trust me, these won’t last long on the cookie plate. No added Oil!
These German Chocolate Cake Cookies have become a delicious household staple in no time. Think of them as little vegan German chocolate cakes that have all the flavor of German Chocolate Cake but are gone in two bites!
I love all things pecan and chocolate! Especially around the holiday season! Have you tried my Pecan Chocolate Pie? SO good! In my book, German Chocolate Cookies would make a perfect snack year-round, but with that festive nut & chocolate combo they are an especially great gift during the holidays!
If you love German Chocolate Cake these little chocolate cookies are the perfect treat to add to your baking list!
They have that classic winning combination of chocolate, coconut, and pecan all piled up on top of soft, rich, and chocolatey oatmeal cookies with no added oil!
More Vegan Desserts for the Holidays
- Chocolate Pumpkin Tart with Almond Crust. GF SF Grain-free.
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie. GF No Bake
- Classic Baked Pumpkin Pie with Rustic Crust. Cashew-free SF
- Dark Chocolate Silk Pie. GF SF
- Sweet potato Pie Bars. GF option
You often see German chocolate cookies that are frosted or topped with a caramel filling after baking. These are slightly different from your regular German Chocolate Cake Thumbprint cookies, as these are baked with the caramel coconut-pecan filling already in the cookies. I find these are way easier to store and less messy to eat that way.
Ingredients for German Chocolate Cookies:
- The base for the cookies is an oatmeal cookie – so we use flour, oats and cocoa powder as a base with some baking soda added for a bit of a rise.
- These are sweetened with maple syrup only so refined sugar-free.
- For some extra chew, I add some shredded coconut.
- Almond butter and non-dairy milk add enough fat and moisture to these to make them chewy in the middle while being a bit crispy on the outside.
- It would not be a German Chocolate Cookie without that signature fudge filling made from shredded coconut and pecans. We toast the nuts in a pan for more flavor.
- To get that caramel feel to the German Chocolate Cake filling, we add some maple syrup and non-dairy milk as well as some cornstarch for thickening the filling.
Tips & Substitutions:
- If you don’t like pecans or are allergic, you can use walnuts instead.
- You can make the oatmeal cookie dough a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
- If you want to go extra fancy, you could drizzle these with some melted chocolate right in the end.
How to make German Chocolate Cookies:
Mix all wet ingredients for the cookie in a bowl, and set aside. Add all dry ingredients, and mix well, set aside.
Combine wet ingredients into the dry. If you want a sweeter cookie, add a tbsp of sugar or maple. Mix well.
Press and mix so that the mixture is homogenous, and you get a dough. Chill the dough for 15 minutes, meanwhile make the filling.
Add the pecans to a skillet and toast for 2 minutes, then add the coconut and continue to toast until the coconut is golden.
Add in the maple syrup, mix the cornstarch and the milk really well, add it to the pan, then continue to cook the mixture until it thickens a bit.
Scoop out 2 tbsp or more of the cookie layer dough mixture, and roll it out into balls. Press the balls slightly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a deep tsp measure to make dips in the cookie dough.
Add the filling to the dips. You want to add enough filling and pile it on because the filling tastes really good, and makes the cookie moist.
Repeat for all the dough, you can probably get 11-12 cookies total. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for 15minutes.
Take the sheet out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
How to store German Chocolate Cookies:
Keep the cookies on the counter for up to 2 days, and refrigerate for up to a week.
Vegan German Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) almond butter use natural smooth drippy almond butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup (40.5 g) oats
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
- 1/3 cup (26.67 g) coconut
- 1/4 cup (27.25 g) chopped pecans
- 3-4 tbsp maple syrup or sugar
- 2 tbsp nondairy milk
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix all wet ingredients for the cookie (maple syrup through non dairy milk) in a bowl, and set aside.
- Add all dry ingredients, and mix well, set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients into the dry. If you want a sweeter cookie, add a tbsp of sugar or maple. Mix well.
To make Dough:
- Press and mix so that the mixture is homogenous, and you get a dough. Chill the dough for 15 minutes, meanwhile make the filling
For the Filling:
- Add the pecans to a skillet and toast for 2 minutes, then add the coconut and continue to toast until the coconut is golden.
- Add in the maple syrup, mix the cornstarch and the milk really well, add it to the pan, then continue to cook the mixture until it thickens a bit.
- Scoop out 2 tbsp or more of the cookie layer dough mixture, and roll it out into balls. Press the balls slightly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a deep 1 tsp measure to make dips in the cookie dough.
- Add the filling to the dips. You want to add enough filling and pile it on because the filling tastes really good, and make the cookie moist.
- Repeat for all the dough, you can probably get 11-12 cookies total.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for 13-15 minutes.
- Take the sheet out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Glutenfree: use a gf blend or 1/3 cup oat flour +2 tbsp starch
- If you don't like pecans or are allergic, you can use walnuts instead.
- You can make the oatmeal cookie dough a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
- If you want to go extra fancy, you could drizzle these with some melted chocolate right in the end.
Janelle says
December 31, 2020 at 5:52 amThese look so delicioius! Can I use a gluten-free flour? If so, what would you recommend? And is there anything I can use in place of the corn starch? Can’t wait to try them!! Thanks for sharing! : )
Vegan Richa Support says
December 31, 2020 at 10:41 amthanks – sure, Notes
Glutenfree: use a gf blend or 1/3 cup oat flour +2 tbsp starch (the starch is essential) there are many types.
Colleen says
January 10, 2021 at 5:50 pmI made these three types before seeing your comment – I used oat flour (without any additional starch) and they turned out fantastic.
Diane Corrie says
December 31, 2020 at 9:54 amCould you make these with cashew butter instead of almond butter?
Richa says
December 31, 2020 at 12:16 pmYes!
lina says
January 2, 2021 at 3:15 pmIn the filling part you have coconut. Is that raw, more shredded or something else? I want to make these tonight 🙂
Richa says
January 2, 2021 at 3:27 pmIt’s dried shredded