....is Pop's Birthday, German Chocolate Brownies

Every year, from before I can remember (and for many years before) my dad has a German Chocolate Cake to celebrate his birthday. Between school and moving I hadn't been home for his birthday in almost a decade. Last year I was finally in the same city to celebrate and for the first time I baked the cake. Last Year's Cake went fairly well, it tasted good but was a bit like a three layer Leaning Tower of Pisa. I decided to bake a slightly different version of this annual treat by changing the Cake to a German Chocolate brownie base, I used a modified version of my Mexican Chocolate Brownies for the base, with the same creamy Topping.



For the Brownies
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate, chopped
1 cup Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1-1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips


For the Topping
4 Egg Yolks
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk
1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Butter
1 pkg. (7 oz.) Flaked Coconut (2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 Cups Sliced Almonds


For the Brownies
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13-inch square baking pan.
In a small, heatproof bowl, melt Butter and Chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together Sugar, Eggs and Vanilla extract. Whisking steadily, pour Chocolate Mixture into Sugar Mixture. Stir until smooth.

Sift Flour, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Salt into the bowl and stir until just combined. Fold in Chocolate Chips.

Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until brownies set and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out with only a few moist crumbs, not batter, attached.

For the Topping
Beat Egg Yolks, Milk and Vanilla in large saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add Sugar and Butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add Coconut and Sliced Almonds; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency. Cover Brownies completely.

Happy Baking!