This easy no-bake pie features a chocolate cookie crust, rich chocolate filling, and gooey toasted coconut-pecan topping!
Whenever I think of German Chocolate Cake, I always think of the men in my family. It seemed like every single guy in my family loved this cake since it was ALWAYS served at their birthday parties. I guess I can’t really blame them though–German Chocolate Cake is pretty phenomenal. As opposed to your average chocolate or vanilla cake which is frosted with traditional American buttercream, German Chocolate Cake has that extra decadent filling made with crunchy pecans and sweet coconut. I mean, the cake part is good and all, but if you straight up served me a giant bowl of this delicious filling, I’d be in heaven.
So since it’s not really “lady-like” to just devour an entire bowl of this divine coconut-pecan filling while binge-watching episodes of Laguna Beach, I decided to compromise with a pie instead.
This German Chocolate Pie has it all–a crispy chocolate cookie crust, decadent dark chocolate filling, ooey gooey toasted coconut-pecan topping, and swirls of whipped cream!
And to make things even better, this pie is incredibly easy to make! In fact, it’s ALMOST no-bake. I hesitate to call it no-bake since you technically have to toast the pecans and coconut. But other than that, it’s pretty much no-bake in my book!
To make this pie extra simple, I decided to go with a chocolate cookie crumb crust. All you have to do is crush up some Oreos and stir in some melted butter. Press that mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan and allow it to chill in the refrigerator while you make the topping!
The topping is made before the chocolate filling because it requires a little extra time to cool off. To make it, you’ll start off by whisking an egg yolk with some heavy cream. Then you’ll add some brown sugar, a couple tablespoons of butter, and a pinch of salt. Stir this mixture over medium heat until it thickens and resembles a thin pudding-like consistency. This mixture will also continue to thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it still has a somewhat pourable consistency.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove the pan from the stove, and stir in a little vanilla along with some chopped pecans and shredded coconut. As mentioned above, you’ll need to toast the pecans and coconut beforehand. Trust me, toasting makes a HUGE difference in flavor, so don’t skip this step!
Oh, and FYI, I used unsweetened shredded coconut since the topping is sweet enough. However, if all you can find in your grocery store is sweetened shredded coconut, that’s totally fine!
The filling is pretty much your standard no-bake chocolate cheesecake filling. With just four ingredients, you might be surprised by how divine this filling is!
First, you’ll whip some cream cheese and a little vanilla together until smooth and creamy. Then you’ll add some melted dark/semi-sweet chocolate. I like to melt the chocolate with a little heavy cream to thin it out a bit so that it blends more easily into the cream cheese. Once the chocolate and cream cheese are fully incorporated, freshly-whipped cream is folded in. And that’s it! Pour that luscious filling into your crust, then spread your cooled coconut-pecan topping over the filling. The pie needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before it’s ready to slice and serve.
Of course, BEFORE serving up this dish of decadence you’ll definitely want to “zhuzh” it up a little with some fluffy whipped cream and extra toasted pecans!
German Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups crushed Oreo cookies (about 22 Oreos)
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Coconut Pecan Topping:
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup finely shredded coconut toasted*
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans toasted
Chocolate Filling:
- ⅔ cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped
- Freshly-whipped cream for decorating
- Chopped toasted pecans for decorating
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to combine the crushed cookies with the melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate.
Make the Coconut Pecan Topping:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolk and heavy cream together. Add the sugar, butter, and salt and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is boiling and thickened. The consistency should coat the back of a spoon, like a thin pudding.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Allow topping to cool completely before spreading on top of pie.
Make the Chocolate Filling:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 2/3 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Switch the whisk attachment out for the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese on high until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla.
- In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Heat in the microwave, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until mixture is smooth and melted. Pour chocolate into cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Add a third of the whipped cream to the bowl, beating until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the remaining whipped cream by hand with a spatula.
- Pour chocolate filling into the crust and smooth out evenly with a spatula. Spread the cooled coconut pecan topping over the chocolate filling. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Decorate border with freshly-whipped cream and chopped toasted pecans. Slice, serve, and enjoy!