German Chocolate Cookies

Found in the Washington Post who attributed it to cookbook author Sally Sampson's "Cookies". The dough can be frozen for up to two months. The cookies keep 5 days room temp in an airtight container (good for mailing!) & two weeks in the freezer after being baked (handy!). NOTE: To toast the pecans, spread them on a baking sheet and place in a 325-degree oven, shaking the sheet occasionally, for 15 minutes. Watch carefully; nuts burn quickly. *****these were one of the first gobbled up cookies on our Christmas trays! They are very dark & lumpy bumpy - suspicious looking in fact - but once tried were scooped up fast!******

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 3-4 dozen

Ingredients

• 12  tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1  cup light brown sugar
• 1  large egg, at room temperature
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1⁄2 cup  unsweetened dutch cocoa
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2  cups sweetened flaked coconut (shredded coconut fine too)
• 1  cup pecans, lightly toasted, then coarsely chopped
• 4  ounces German chocolate, coarsely chopped (Baker's)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on low speed to start, then on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add the egg and then the vanilla extract, beating well between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; then, on low speed, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; beat until everything is well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the coconut, pecans and chocolate, mixing until well combined.
4. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto the baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. (Alternatively, the dough can be rolled into a log, then cut into thin slices.) Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the undersides of the cookies begin to firm up. The tops may still look shiny. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.