German Chocolate Cake lovers — there are a lot of us out there. It’s just hard to beat that combo of rich chocolate and sweet-sticky pecan and coconut goodness! But that fantastic flavor doesn’t have to be relegated to cake. These German Chocolate Pan Chewies are a simple 9×13-pan dessert that you can slice into bars or serve right out of the baking dish. The short prep time (and shortcut of boxed cake mix) makes this an ideal treat to pop in the oven while you sit down to dinner. (And pro tip: their fudgy texture means they’re perfect paired with some vanilla ice cream.)

What Ingredients Do You Need for German Chocolate Pan Chewies?

You might have much of this in your pantry! You’ll need:

• A box of chocolate cake mix.
• A couple of eggs.
• A stick of butter.
• Sweetened condensed milk.
• Chocolate chips.
• Chopped pecans.
• Vanilla extract.
• Shredded coconut.

Devils Food Cake Mix or any kind of chocolate cake mix works well here!

How do You Make German Chocolate Pan Chewies?

As far as desserts go, this one is pretty simple, though it does have some layers.

First up:
You’re going to mix together the cake mix with a stick of melted butter and one of the eggs. It will be thick and much thicker than normal cake batter. Do not fret. Press that mixture into the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch pan. Bake it for just 7 minutes while you start to work on the next layer.

That next layer is where the traditional coconut-pecan frosting flavor comes in even though it’s not quite frosting. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk, and mix it with some coconut, an egg, chopped pecans, and a little bit of vanilla and then pour it over the still-warm cake mix layer.

Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the top and get it back in the oven for about 25 more minutes. These will be gooey, so if you want to slice and serve them as bars, make sure to let them cool completely. If you’re in more of a hurry, you can scoop a portion out of the pan into a bowl and top it with some ice cream. They’re delicious either way!