German chocolate macarons definitively live up to their name with coconut, chocolate and pecan flavors all working together to bring forward a rich taste in a macaron. Just like the famous cake from which this springs, there are several parts to this recipe, so stay with us. Adding the pecan crunch is completely up to you. Some people love that that little crunch of nuttiness, some prefer just the coconut to be the star of the show. You won’t offend us either way.
An overview of the steps are:
Toast the coconut
Stir up the Coconut Crack Filling
Make the Pecan Crunch
Whip up the Chocolate Buttercream
After making the separate ingredients, and using the photo below, assemble. Pipe a circle on the lower mac shell. Fill with the Coconut Crack Filling. Sprinkle some Pecan Crunch on the top, then put on the lid. Enjoy!
Toasted Coconut
Here is the quick and simple way to toast coconut. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread 2 cups of coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened) on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake 6-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure even toasting. Keep an eye on it. It will go from uncooked to burnt in just a matter of minutes. Side note: sweetened flakes usually take less time.
Coconut Crack filling (adapted slightly from the Milk Bar)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/3 plus 1 tbsp. of brown sugar (packed)
1/8 cup powdered milk
1/8 cup corn starch
¾ tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) of butter
1/3 plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks (Yes!!! Finally using those suckers! My chickens are grateful.)
1 cup toasted coconut
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F and spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, corn powder and salt in the bottom of a stand mixer. (MAKE SURE IT’S A STAND MIXER)
- Turn on low speed until everything is blended.
- Add the melted butter and continue to stir on low for about two minutes until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Continue mixing on low for 2 – 3 minutes or until no white streaks from the cream are still visible. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula.
- Add the egg yolks, stirring JUST TO COMBINE. You don’t want to aerate the mixture, so do not overmix: the mixture should be glossy.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake 8-10 minutes.
- If still jiggly, cook another 2 minutes, but no more.
- Stir in the toasted coconut.
- Store in airtight container and use within a week or two. Store in fridge.
Pecan Crunch (adapted from a recipe by Milk Bar)
1-1/2 cups (225 g) pecans, chopped
Roughly 1-3 tablespoons (13.6-40.8 g) grapeseed or vegetable oil; start with the lower measurement and add if your mixture looks too dry.
1 teaspoon (5.6 g) kosher salt
2 tablespoons (27.5 g) brown sugar
1-1/2 cups (180 g) chocolate wafer cookies, chopped
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Pour the pecans on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes.
- In a food processor or blender, purée the warm pecans with grapeseed oil, salt and brown sugar, until it becomes the consistency of butter.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the pecan butter with the crushed wafer cookies. The crunch can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for five days or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Buttercream
I always make a regular batch of my American Buttercream and have it on hand. For this recipe, scoop out 2 cups of the buttercream into a separate bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon dry cocoa powder to the buttercream and stir it into the buttercream until well-blended.
Okay I’m a newbie and need more instruction. How do I assemble all the above recipes into the cookie?
Hi! So once you bake the cookie (and we are going to attach the recipe in a post) you would fill it with the flavor of your choice 🙂 Feel free to reach out on Instagram, we are very active with responding there.
Your ingredients say corn starch but the instructions say corn powder. I know crack pie actually uses freeze dried corn so I’m leaning toward corn powder but just curious.
Sorry! It should be cornstarch all the way thru.
Hello! I love all of your recipes! For some reason when I made the coconut crack, it never thickened. Is it supposed to be similar consistency to your pecan pie filling? I baked for the additional 2 minutes and actually went another 2 and it never got any thicker, even after adding in the toasted coconut. Thanks!
Debora,
Yes! It should of thickened. Sometimes i bake up to additional 10 minutes.