I Know You Want One Of These German Chocolate Cake Bars!

Yesterday we did healthy, today not so much.  This has been a two dessert recipe week.  Why?  Because it just seems like that kind of week and Labor Day Weekend is coming up.  You may be celebrating that last big hurrah of summer with family and friends and you need dessert for a celebration.  Right?  If you don't want to try the Apple Pie Bars from earlier in the week, try these over the top fabulous German Chocolate Cake Bars.

This dessert is going to knock your socks off if you've never made it.  It's got all the good stuff like chocolate, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate.  Did I mention chocolate?  Just in case I forgot, it's got chocolate and is it ever good.

Blame Pinterest, friends, it's all their fault.  I start looking through all the posts late at night and there is one good recipe after another and I am just happily pinning away.  What's the use of pinning if you don't make some of these delectable treats.   It just becomes a past time.  Me, I am all about jumping in with both feet and giving these recipes a try.

There have been a couple that were not keepers, but for the most part they have all been really good.  These German Chocolate Cake Bars are the bomb.  Seriously, the bomb.  The only flaw I can find is that the recipe uses a Devil's Food Cake Mix and next time I might use a German Chocolate Cake mix just to get a more German chocolate taste.  Don't get me wrong, the Devil's food is really, really good.  It was just not really German chocolate.  If you don't know, it's really not German chocolate, but German's chocolate which is a brand name.  Through the years, it has come to be known as German chocolate.  Just a bit of trivia for you.  You can buy German's chocolate at the grocery in the baking aisle of you want real German's chocolate.

This recipe originally came from your friend and mine, Paula Deen.  Now we all know Miss Paula knows a knockout dessert and they are always worth a try.  Try it I did and it is definitely a keeper.

Here is what you need:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix (or German Chocolate Cake Mix)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 large egg

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips  (I used 1 cup, cause why not?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix cake mix, butter and egg.  Press in bottom of pan.  Do not press up the sides of the pan.  Bake 7 minutes.

While the base is baking, mix the filling.  Mix sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg and nuts.  Pour evenly over warm crust .  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Use 1 cup if you really like chocolate (and we do)!

Bake 24-30 minutes until light golden brown.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

I mean, look at all those chocolate chips!  Who wouldn't want that many?  If you only want 1/2 as many, that's your choice, but the full cup made it really awesome.  Of course, we all had a little scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on ours just in case you want to give that a try.

Thank you Paula Deen.  You did not fail to deliver one more decadent, totally unhealthy dessert for our enjoyment.  Give these a try, you will be glad you did.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” 
― Charles M. Schulz