German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

In my family, November is the month of birthdays. Almost everyone, including me, have birthdays this month. It’s tricky because I have to think about birthdays while I am also thinking about Christmas! But for my birthday, which was early in the month, someone usually brings a cake to work. It’s hard to pick a favorite cake, but I really love German Chocolate Cake. I saw these cookies, which have you make coconut pecan frosting, typical to German Chocolate Cake, to fill a cookie. Sounded great!

Making the frosting/filling is the most challenging part of this recipe, and it isn’t hard at all. The original recipe warns about not using canned frosting; that just won’t work at the canned stuff has all sorts of additives that would not do well when baked. The base of the cookie is a cake mix, which is a nice convenience. You end up having more filling than you need, but I am sure that I can think of something to do with extra coconut pecan frosting.

Both the dough and the filling are fairly sticky, and on the messy side. I always use the end of a wooden spoon to make the indentation in the cookies; my thumb just doesn’t seem to be the right shape. The cookies flatten while they bake, so you don’t have to be perfect with filling the thumbprints. It works out once baked. These cookies are absolutely divine. They are chocolatey, but not too much. The coconut pecan filling has this wonderful melty sugar flavor and just can’t be beat!

German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 German chocolate cake mix

1/3 cup butter, melted

Make the filling: in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla, and beaten egg yolks. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Reserve 1-1/4 cups of the filling; set aside in a small bowl. In a large mixer bowl combine the cake mix, melted butter, and the filling that was not set aside. Mix on medium until the dough comes together. 

Shape the dough into 1” balls. Make an indentation in the center of the cookie. Fill the indentation with the reserved filling. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are set but still soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from All Recipes