These German Chocolate Gooey Bars mimic the flavors of classic German Chocolate Cake, loaded with chocolate cake, coconut, and butterscotch chips. They’re moist, chewy, gooey, delicious, and so easy!
If you love gooey bars and lemon desserts, don’t miss our Lemon Gooey Bars!
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Ooey Gooey German Chocolate Bars
If you’ve never made a gooey bar, they’re ridiculously easy and versatile. They’re like a sweet, chocolatey cookie bar, but gooey in the center. When they bake, the outside of the bars get golden and a little crisp and the center stays super gooey. Gooey bars can be homemade from scratch, or they can be semi-homemade with a box mix.
This German chocolate gooey bar recipe starts with a cake mix and has just a few other ingredients added, including coconut flakes and butterscotch chips. They’re so irresistible.
Ingredients Needed
These easy dessert bars come together with just 6 ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it blends easily with the other ingredients.
- Boxed German chocolate cake mix – Just the cake mix powder. Don’t use the directions on the box, follow the directions listed below instead.
- Egg – Helps give the chocolate bars structure.
- Coconut flakes – A classic ingredient in German chocolate cake.
- Butterscotch chips – Butterscotch and chocolate love one another!
- Sweetened condensed milk – This is what puts the “gooey” in a gooey bars.
How to Make German Chocolate Gooey Bars
These chocolate bars are so easy to make in just a few simple steps.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Make the dough. With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the cake mix, egg, and some of the coconut until combined and a thick dough forms.
- Press some of the batter into the pan. Line a 9×9 square baking dish with parchment paper, then lightly spray with nonstick spray. Press about 2/3 of the batter into the pan.
- Add butterscotch chips and sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle the remaining coconut flakes and butterscotch chips over the dough, then drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top, leaving a border bare.
- Break up the remaining chunks of dough and place it on top of the bars. Break off a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon size pieces and drop them over the top, then lightly press with your hands. Some of the sweetened condensed milk will show through giving the bars a fun cobbled look.
- Bake, cool, and chill. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. They need to chill before cutting into bars and then enjoy!
Tips and Variations
Here are a few helpful tips to make sure your gooey bars are perfect.
- Use parchment paper. I highly recommend lining your baking dish with parchment paper because the sweetened condensed milk is sticky. It makes removal so much easier.
- Leave a border of the bars without sweetened condensed milk. Be sure to leave a border around the edge of the uncut bars in the pan without and sweetened condensed milk so that it doesn’t bubble up and burn during baking.
- They need to chill. Baked gooey bars need to cool and then chill before you cut them. If you don’t allow them to get cold and set, the gooey part will ooze out and you’ll have a big mess and not pretty bars.
- Add in some pecans. Toasted chopped pecans can be added to the dough or sprinkled on top with the coconut flakes.
- Make them in a bigger pan. You can do this in a 9×13 pan by using the whole can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup of butterscotch chips, but the bars will be thinner. Baking time will also need to be adjusted.
Video: German Chocolate Gooey Bars
Proper Storage
- Storing Leftovers. You can keep these bars at room temperature or refrigerate them. They will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
- To freeze. Let cool completely. Then transfer bars to a gallon size resealable bag in a single layer. Place a paper towel on top (inside the bag.) Seal and freeze. They will maintain best quality for up to a month. To defrost, let them sit on the counter to reach room temperature (don’t remove the paper towel, which absorbs the moisture as they thaw.)
More Easy Dessert Bars
- Millionaire Bars
- Praline Crunch Bars
- Gooey Butter Cake
- 7 Layer Bars
- Apple Pie Bars
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
German Chocolate Gooey Bars
These German Chocolate Gooey Bars mimic the flavors of classic German Chocolate Cake, loaded with chocolate cake, coconut, and butterscotch chips. They’re moist, chewy, gooey, delicious, and so easy!
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 15 ounce box German chocolate cake mix
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut , divided
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the cake mix, egg, and 1/4 cup of the coconut until combined and a thick dough forms.
- Press 2/3 of the cake mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut and the butterscotch chips evenly over the dough. Then drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top. (Leave a little border bare, without sweetened condensed milk.)
- Break up the remaining dough and crumble it over the top of the bars. Press lightly to seal.
- Bake for about 29-32 minutes, until slightly browned. Cool completely, then make sure to chill for a few hours before cutting into bars.
Video
Notes
They need to chill. Baked gooey bars need to cool and then chill before you cut them. If you don’t allow them to get cold and set, the gooey part will ooze out and you’ll have a big mess and not pretty bars.
Add in some pecans. Toasted chopped pecans can be added to the dough or sprinkled on top with the coconut flakes.
Make them in a bigger pan. You can do this in a 9×13 pan by using the whole can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup of butterscotch chips, but the bars will be thinner. Baking time will also need to be adjusted.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 137mg | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1.3mg
These look so good, Amy!
YUMMY!!
I loved how easy these were to make. I’m challenged in the baking department. They were delicious too of course. Would like to try them with other cake mixes and add-ins.
I made these but needed to omit the coconut due to allergies. They were still amazing!
I can’t make these ever again…because I’ll eat the entire pan. Lol. Ugh, so good.
First time making a gooey bar and it won’t be the last!
Making these STAT. They sound so good!
Can’t wait to make these, they sound amazing.
Made as written but added chopped pecans and half butterscotch/half white chips. We loved them.
Surprised my 10 year old daughter with these bars who loves gooey bars. They were a big hit. They were so easy, she could have made them.
I’ve made lime gooey bars but this was the first chocolate version. I added pecans as suggested. So freaking good.
So good.
Oh my goodness, I’m not even a big chocolate person, but I LOVE german chocolate anything. These were so so good. Thanks for sharing!
Made these for my Aunt who loves German chocolate…and she loved these too!
These gooey bars were amazing!