Today’s post is by my sweet friend Nancy. If you look up true and honest in the dictionary you may see her smiling face right by the definition. What I admire most about her is that she is fearless. She puts it all out there for the world to read. Her heartfelt posts have made me laugh, want to give her a hug, and caused my mouth to water over her divine recipes. Take a look at A Cake Smash and you will see her honesty. One glimpse at her Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake had me dreaming about it for days. I finally got to meet her in person earlier this year and it was simply fantastic to spend time with such a wonderful person.
Howdy, y’all! I’m Nancy of gotta get baked and I’m beyond honoured to be guest posting today for my dear friend, Renee, while she’s enjoying a much deserved vacation in Germany. I’ve known this lovely lady for the past two years. We met in our Sunday Supper group and since I was a novice blogger at the time, who didn’t know a dang thing about this crazy world of blogging, she took me under her wing and became my Sunday Supper mentor.
You know how people always say “there’s no such thing as a dumb question?” Well, I beg to differ and I’m sure a lot of the questions I was peppering Renee with made her roll her eyes but she never, ever made me feel like the fool that I was. Renee is sweet, gracious, incredibly smart and sharp as a whip. And the woman can really get down and groove – I had the pleasure of meeting Renee this summer at the Food and Wine Conference in Orlando, Florida. She didn’t need much arm-twisting to get up onto a table and boogie down in front of a giant crowd! That moment really solidified how incredibly awesome Renee is.
I’m in my early-but-quickly-creeping-toward-mid-30s and I doubt I have a quarter of the energy that Renee does. I’ve been telling the Husband for months now that I’m going to join a gym for my mental and physical health. In September, I swore that on October 1st, I’d go and get my membership. Well…let’s just say I’ve made many valiant attempts (in my mind) but I still haven’t made it. Something keeps coming up, whether it’s long laborious hours at work or last minute plans with friends or, let’s be real, I just don’t wannaaaaaaaaaaa. Since I ate most of what I made for Renee, I’d better get my butt moving fast!
I went the super obvious, totally unoriginal route and made cookie bars inspired by German chocolate cake while Renee’s in Germany. Not that it was a bad choice – these bars are rich, chocolatey and ooey gooey good!
Renee, thank you so much for having me over! I hope you’re enjoying every moment of your holiday and eating your fill of delicious German food!
German Chocolate Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Base:
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1 cup butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
For the Topping:
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 14 ounce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Base
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Line an 8X8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and espresso powder.
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In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cocoa powder and mix until fully combined.
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Slowly add the flour and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips. Press the dough into the baking pan and chill in the fridge for an hour.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you make the topping.
For the Topping:
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Mix all the ingredients together in bowl. Spread evenly over top of the chilled cookie dough.
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Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. You don’t want to over-bake the cookie or it’ll be dry. It’ll continue baking after you remove the pan from the oven. Allow to fully cool before removing from the pan and slicing.
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The less you bake this, the fudgier ‘n gooier it’ll be, which is perfect in my book. You can store the bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days. Afterwards (if they last that long) keep them in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
A recipe for German Chocolate Cookie Bars - a dessert that has a cake-like chocolate cookie base topped with caramel, coconut, and chocolate chips.
The Vegan 8 says
Oh Nancy you crack me up like always!!! You are seriously one of my favorite bloggers and I hope to truly meet one day. I cracked up at what you said about there being “no such thing as a dumb question” because just this past weekend I was at a Williams Sonoma and I had a question to ask the employee and I prepped it with “this is probably a dumb question but…” She interupted me and said “now don’t you remember there’s no such thing as a dumb question, didn’t you learn that as a child?” Lol!! My hubby on the other hand thinks most of my questions ARE dumb, bahaha!
Anyways. This recipe looks amazing and so rich! Beautiful Nancy and nice to meet you at your blog Renee!!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Lol, thanks so much, Brandi! You’re on my list of people I have to meet someday. Love you much, girl! And seriously, there IS such a thing as dumb questions, namely most of mine!
Renee says
Nice to meet you to and I’m glad you stopped by to check out the recipe and my blog.
Zaza says
Oh! my gosh! It looks so delicious!
Renee says
Yes it does and irresistible too.
Stacy says
I was taught that the only dumb question was the one you didn’t ask! Renee really is the best, isn’t she?! She has answered many a question for me too.
Your chewy ooey gooey bars look fabulous, Nancy! As a child, German chocolate cake was one of my favorites. This is soooo much easier than that cooked icing for the same effect. You so smart!
Renee says
You are so sweet Stacy. And I totally agree on how fabulous these bars are.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
Yayyy! I absolutely love and adore Nancy! These cookie bars look so gooey and tasty and I love that they’re a nod to your German trip!
Renee says
Thanks Kayle and I love they are a nod to my trip too.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Renee, thank you so much for asking me to guest post in your beautiful space. I meant every word I wrote here – you’re one of the loveliest, most gracious, supportive and overall fabulous women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Keep having fun on your trip! I’ve been living vicariously through all of your photos. xoxo
Renee says
xoxo and BIG thanks to you Nancy.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Renee, hope you are having a wonderful trip!!! I have to come out to the next Food & Wine conference so I can see your dance moves. I love it. and Nancy, these german chocolate cookie bars are the bomb-diggity. I love reading other posts about you because everyone always gets it spot on. You’re real, hilarious, fearless on your blog and bake like a boss. I love you both!!!
Renee says
I had a fantastic trip Alice and I do hope you will be dancing on the tables with us next year too.
DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts says
I don’t have to tell you how cool Nancy is and those bars look decadent. Renee, I hope you are having a great time and safe travels home!
Renee says
Thanks so much DB!
The Ninja Baker says
Wish I’d seen the dancing on the table! Wow! Love this post…So full of heart felt admiration, well deserved love and scrumptious German chocolate flavors. Danke Renee and Nancy for all your goodness, too =)
Renee says
Thanks so much Kim and maybe at next year’s conference you can join us in dancing on the tables.
Tara says
Those look perfectly scrumptious!! Ooey gooey divine!!
Renee says
They sure do!
Mike says
It says that there’s cocoa powder, but I don’t see it being used anywhere in the recipe. I’m probably just missing it, when should it be added?
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Hi Mike! Thanks so much for catching that error. It was totally a mistake on my part when I was writing this post. Renee has now fixed the error – you’ll see in step 3 for the cookie base that the cocoa is added to the butter mixture after the eggs and vanilla. If you make this, I hope you enjoy! Happy Holidays 🙂