A creamy, sweet and nutty filling takes these cakey chocolate cookies to a whole new level. Fun fact: The inspiration for them—German chocolate cake—is actually not German. They get their name from an American chocolate maker named Samuel German.
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Total time 3 hours
Ingredients
Cookies:
Filling:
Method
Filling: On separate baking sheets, toast coconut and pecans in 350°F (180°C) oven, stirring once, until coconut is golden and pecans are darkened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes for coconut and about 8 minutes for pecans. Transfer to large bowl; let cool.
Meanwhile, in saucepan, whisk together sugar, evaporated milk and egg yolks; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth and butter is melted; stir into pecan mixture. Refrigerate until cold and thickened enough to spread without running, about 2 hours. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Cookies: In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions, just until combined. If necessary, knead gently to form smooth dough.
Roll by 1 tbsp into balls. Arrange, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on parchment paper–lined rimless baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in 350°F (180°C) oven, just until firm, about 8 minutes. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes; transfer directly to racks to cool completely.
Assembly: Spread 1 tbsp of the filling onto bottoms of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)
Tip from The Test Kitchen: For a perfectly smooth surface, use the bottom of a glass to flatten each cookie before baking.
Makes about 26 sandwich cookies.
Nutritional facts per sandwich cookie: about
- Fibre 1 g
- Sodium 41 mg
- Sugars 14 g
- Protein 2 g
- Calories 188.0
- Total fat 12 g
- Potassium 98 mg
- Cholesterol 46 mg
- Saturated fat 6 g
- Total carbohydrate 20 g
%RDI
- Iron 6.0
- Folate 7.0
- Calcium 3.0
- Vitamin A 8.0
- Vitamin C 3.0
