German Chocolate Slab Pie
Studded with chopped pecans and shredded coconut, this German Chocolate Slab Pie is a tasty (and easy) way to feed a crowd!
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I was all set to tell the fun (and somewhat surprising) story of how this German Chocolate Slab Pie isn’t German at all. Yes, it uses German chocolate. But that isn’t chocolate imported from Germany. It’s a type of baking chocolate created by an American with the last name German. Confusing? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely! However, we’re going off script for just a moment to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves.
Scammers. As I’m sitting here writing this post, I’ve already declined one phone call from an unknown number. Verizon popped up and told me it was “Potential Spam.” The call came from Dalton, Georgia. I don’t know anyone in Dalton, Georgia. And if someone in Dalton, Georgia wanted to talk to me, they could leave a voicemail. There was no voicemail. It was indeed a spam call.
I get probably 1-2 of these “robocalls” a day. I know US lawmakers have tried to put an end to these things, but good luck. How do you stop a robot randomly dialing numbers? That call that I mentioned above? 100% unlikely that it actually came in from Dalton, Georgia. It was probably made by a computer somewhere in a Cleveland, Ohio basement. (I actually have no issues with Cleveland – I’ve been there. It’s a cool place!)
Robocalls aren’t the only spam, either. I’ve seen estimates that nearly 55% of all emails sent each day are spam. That’s more than half! One look at your email’s spam folder will probably confirm that one. “Re: Urgent – Billing Statement is available – Check Your Acount” (I’d like to note that I literally copy/pasted that from a recent spam email…note the misspelling in account. Oh, and the sender’s name was the super generic “Online Services.” Uh, yeah.
Blog comments aren’t safe, either. As fellow bloggers out there know, spam comments roll in all the time. Akismet, the anti-spam plugin that many bloggers use, estimates that over 85% of blog comments are spam. Again, one look at my spam comment folder will confirm that one. “Greetings! I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas!” Problem #1? That comment originated from an IP address in Canada, not Texas. Problem #2? The “commenter’s” name was “mobile legends.” Thanks, Akismet!
If you’re into podcasts, I highly recommend listening to the podcast Reply All, and particularly the episodes “Long Distance,” “Long Distance II” and “Long Distance: The Real Alex Martin.” I won’t reveal any spoilers, but the gist is the guy hosting the podcast attempts to get to the bottom of a spammy call center. It’s hilarious. I listened to it on a recent roadtrip to Laura’s parents’ place, and I laughed outloud more than once.
German Chocolate Slab Pie
Ok, enough ranting about spam. I have no idea how spammers actually make money, but it must work. Otherwise we’d live in a spam-free world, right? Let’s turn our focus back to positive things – like this German Chocolate Slab Pie. This pie is positively delicious!
Have you ever heard of slab pies? They’re a new-ish thing (at least new to me), and they’re a pretty cool concept. A slab pie is simple. It’s a shallow pie that it’s baked in a rimmed baking sheet. It’s closely related to a traditional, round pie…except it’s not round at all. And a slab pie is ~2 times the size of a traditional round pie. That means slab pies are perfect for feeding a crowd. More pie – more better, right? You can just slice up the pie into squares and then serve it on the baking sheet itself. Nice and easy! (If you like the slab pie idea, then check out this Blueberry Slab Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust that I posted last month.)
I’ve always enjoyed the chocolate + coconut combination, so I went with a German Chocolate Slab Pie. Chocolate, coconut, pecans all on top of a buttery pie crust. Talk about the perfect dessert! Prep is fairly simple on this one, too. The only thing to remember is you need to let the pie cool for a couple of hours before serving. (In truth, I actually like this German Chocolate Slab Pie cold rather than room temp. Try it both ways and let me know which one you prefer!)
So as we head into Fall Baking Season (yes, that’s capitalized for a reason – it’s an official event in my book), consider putting this German Chocolate Slab Pie on the baking list. It’s delicious, and it’s the perfect way to feed a crowd. Say perhaps for tailgating? (This really would be an easy recipe to transport to a tailgate!) I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Did you make this German Chocolate Slab Pie at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
German Chocolate Slab Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold
- ½-¾ cup cold water
For the German Chocolate Filling
- 8 oz. German chocolate chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 12-oz. cans evaporated milk
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 2 cups pecans chopped
- {optional} fresh whipped cream
Instructions
For the Crust
- Using a food processor, add flour, brown sugar and salt; pulse until well combined.
- Cut butter into small cubes and add to the food processor; pulse until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Add ½ cup of water and pulse until well combined. Continue adding water 1 Tbsp at a time (and pulsing) until dough comes together in a ball.
- Flatten dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight.)
- Working on a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12”x18” rectangle. Press dough into an 11”x17” rimmed baking sheet. (Note: Take extra care to press dough into corners of the pan.)
For the German Chocolate Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a medium saucepan, add chocolate and butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture has completely melted.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in evaporated milk; set pan aside.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir until well combined.
- Using a separate bowl, add egg yolks and vanilla extract; whisk together until well combined. Pour egg mixture into bowl with the sugars; stir until well combined. Finally, add chocolate mixture; stir until well combined.
- Pour filling into pan (on top of crust). (Note: The filling will come right up to the edge of the pan. Use caution when transferring it into the oven!)
- Using a medium mixing bowl, combine shredded coconut and chopped pecans; spread mixture evenly on top of the pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until topping is almost set. Let pie cool completely (1-2 hours) before slicing and serving. (Note: I actually prefer to serve this pie cold. Let pie cool at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.)
- {Optional} Garnish slices with fresh whipped cream before serving.
So far this is the only slab pie recipe I have on the blog. I’ll work on that! In the meantime, here are some other traditional pie recipes that I love:
David, I’m with you on the spam issue. I use a very aggressive anti-spam plugin and still average 6 or 7 spam comments a day being held for moderation which are usually all spam. The plugin catches about a 150 spam comments per week, mostly coming from Russia and China. If it wasn’t for anti-spam blockers I don’t know if I would blog.
Now, about that German chocolate slab pie. I want some now. Just looking at it makes me feel like the cookie (and slab pie) monster. I just put this one on my “Must Make” board…
Oh man, you’re telling me, Ron. If we didn’t have spam catchers, I would just turn off all comments on the blog. It’s crazy! I just don’t understand the point of the spam comments – what goal do they serve? Either way, let’s eat a slice of this German chocolate slab pie and forget about spam, ok? It’s a huge pie, but man is it good! (I’m sure you could halve the recipe if you have a smaller sheet pan, though.)
David, Your German chocolate pie is definitely a crowd pleaser and I’m sure I will devour it cold in this hot summer. I loved the coconut and pecans going in there for that extra crunch and flavour.
Spam and phishing are prevalent and are always outsmarting the protective filters. Recently I was a victim of bank phishing with money going into a fraud account for a buy that I never knew off, fortunately my bank was helpful and the matter was taken up further. With internet being a popular way of communicating these days, spam is something we need to deal with by being extra vigilant. Thanks for an amazing post David. Hope you have a lovely day!
Thank you so much, Hasin! This German chocolate pie is seriously delicious…you can’t stop at just one bite!
As far as the spamming and phishing, it really is annoying. I don’t understand what the spam comments are supposed to accomplish. They get filtered out ASAP. I dunno. I’m really glad your bank caught that scam. What a pain! Thanks again for stopping by…hope you have a great day yourself! 🙂
Oh how I hate spam phone calls – particularly then they’re to my cell. Feels so violating. As annoying as spam comments are, they can be pretty hilarious. Do you find that too?
Loving this German Chocolate Slab pie, David. A slice of it would sure perk up my sleepy Monday over here.
Yes! The spam calls to my cell really irk me. So much for that National Do Not Call list, right? Seriously – go listen to that podcast. It’s awesome! Something else that’s awesome? A slice of this pie. Maybe pie and podcast together? 🙂
Oh my gosh, I’m so with you on the freaking spam! I hate how they keep finding new ways to get our attention. I find myself blocking a new caller every day on my phone. Anyway, this pie – so much more interesting! We all love German Chocolate anything in this house! And more pie is always better, so slab pie is always a good idea! Love this recipe, David! Cant wait for Fall Baking Season!
You and me both, Laura! And it seems like there’s no point blocking the spam number because the next call comes in on a slightly different number. You should go listen to that podcast!
In other news, this German Chocolate Slab Pie is amazing. It makes a lot – you’ve be warned. 🙂 (Of course, a lot of pie is never a bad thing in my book!)
Oh these spam calls are ridiculous! I understand they might have had a significant impact from the marketing perspective 20 years ago, but this is 2020. Both Andrey and I have been recieving robocalls from the same company (Can we consider bots their employees? lol). Assumingly from one company. Because the recorded message is in one of the Asian languages, I’m quite positive Chinese. I wish I knew what they’re saying (Maybe I am a millionaire now haha) to us, but we don’t understand the language. Btw, if we don’t answer the call, these robocalls leave a voicemail with the same recorded message. They are very advanced. The funny fact is that these calls started when we lived in Toronto. Once we moved in Halifax and changed our numbers, it stopped for a couple of months. Then we started to receive the same calls associated to both Ontario and Nova Scotia. These bots appear to sincerely love us 🙂
Anyway, back to this pie and the (sadly quick today) story behind its name. It’s confusingly delicious and deliciously confusing. Coconut, chocolate, and pecans – what’s not to like? And without any doubts, it’s 100% better than any spam call or comment!
Yeah, I hear ya, Ben. The robocalls are annoying enough, but then when they leave voicemails!? That takes annoying to a whole new level! I get a lot of spam calls in a short period of time, then they go away for a while. Sure enough, though, they always come back. I assume that’s because the call center gets shut down, but then reopens again within a few weeks. I just don’t get it – is that time worth it!? Anyways, let’s focus on something awesome – like this slab pie. It makes a lot of pie, but a lot of pie is a good thing in my book. 🙂
This chocolate slab pie is exactly what my Tuesday needs! Three coffees in, and need something sweet 😉
And so funny – I just hang up from a spam call. It was a similar number to a call I was expecting. But just not the right number – wanting to discuss my ‘electricity account’ but wouldn’t say where they were calling from. Sounds legit.,,,?! haha.
Hah! They want to talk to you about your “electricity account.” Super vague! That’s annoying. It’s easy(ish) for me as my cell phone number still had our old Atlanta area code at the beginning of it – I never changed it when we moved up to New York. So if I get calls starting with that area code, I know they are spam so I don’t answer them. Either way, I agree that slab pie is what every Tuesday needs! Also, you just reminded me that it’s time to go make another coffee. 🙂 Hope your day is going well, my friend!
This slab pie looks so decadent, David! And robocalls are the worst! I keep getting ones that speak Mandarin — problem is, I don’t speak it so, definite spam!
Geez! If they’re gonna waste time spam calling you, then they should at least do it in a language you understand. Hah! What I do understand, though, is this pie is delicious. 🙂 Thanks, Michelle!
your slab pie looks delicious david. i don’t think i’ve ever heard of one before. yes scammers are the worst. one easter, i got over 500 scam/spam emails under the name Anonymous, which i didn’t know at the time was an actual group of hackers who do this sort of thing for fun!! such idiots!
I agree with you, Sherry! I guess these spammers just do it for fun. I mean I don’t understand what else they hope to accomplish. Let’s forget about spam and just focus on pie, ok? 🙂
Oh gosh- I don’t know how spammers make their money either but I’m thinking it’s pretty lucrative cos there are so many! With that said, I’ve added all three Long Distance podcasts to my queue. I’m on vacay this week but when am back in the office next week I’m going to NEED something to listen to. Also, Fall Baking Season is indeed an event! And what a delicious way to get it started with this! This would be such an easy tasty dessert when company comes over!
Those podcasts are hilarious, Shashi. I can’t wait to hear what you think. 🙂 In other news, I think you’re going to need something to nibble on when you get back to the office. A piece of German Chocolate Pie sounds good, right? And if you make the full recipe, then you’ll have enough to share with coworkers, too!
Spammers drive me crazy! Are they really effective? Must be, otherwise they wouldn’t keep at it! I am a huge fan of German chocolate cake, so this slab pie is right up my alley! I love all the chocolate 🙂 and coconut and pecans! Delicious!
I have no idea what spammers are trying to accomplish. I guess they get something accomplished, or else they wouldn’t keep doing it. *shrug* I say let’s stick to pie – as in German Chocolate Pie – and let’s make it a slab pie version! This one is big enough for a crowd…or your family. Haha! 🙂
This pie looks amazing David, so rich and packed with flavors. I have an app that blocks spam calls and I simply ignore unknown numbers 😉 Luckily I dont have spam issue on my blog fingers crossed 😉
Yeah, spam is super annoying. Like you, I mostly ignore unknown numbers but they still annoy me just because the phone rings. I prefer to stay focused on things like slab pies! 🙂 Thanks, Rahul!
I believe I could eat this whole slab pie myself. It looks amazing. As for spamemers, I work in an office for my day job and I can’t believe all the spam calls we get. It really is crazy
Haha! You and me both, Dawn…I won’t admit how much of this pie I ate by myself. 🙂