For the LOVE! German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

HAPPY HEART DAY!!!  It would be a crime to break with a tradition: Chocolate on Valentines Day.  German Chocolate cake is my hubby's favorite, so of course these cookies caught my eye.  Unfortunately, this one is going down as a "mishap".  I thought the icing was quite tasty, but a lot of work to make, so if I did it again (which I probably won't) I would definitely just buy some pre-made icing.  PLUS these little babies did not hold together right.  Is there any thing more exasperating than seeing a picture off a recipe and not recognizing it your own "version"?  Theirs were all flat and mine just stayed in little crumbly balls--actually making a "thumbprint" was a joke because they just fell apart.  I don't know what I did wrong, but I finally added a little bit of milk and they stayed together pretty well.  They did, however, taste pretty good... which in my opinion is #1 priority.  (This is second to "labor involved" and this one was high labor.  Don't be deceived by "cake mix".  I have a hard time when you have to refrigerate cookie dough and all that--but I'll have you know that I didn't skip that step.) So consider carefully before before proceeding... it might just be a better idea to buy a candy bar or a box of chocolates. :)  I'm just saying.  But here it is anyway.

German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (Taste of Home)

1 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter, cubed

3 egg yolks

1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) German chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup butter, melted

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla. Set aside 1-1/4 cups for topping.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, melted butter and remaining coconut mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Shape dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each cookie with a teaspoonful of reserved topping.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 5 dozen.

Nutritional Facts1 cookie equals 113 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein.