In a medium saucepan, whisk together the whole milk and heavy cream. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture just to a simmer. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over.

While the milk and cream are heating up, chop the German chocolate into small pieces. Add the chopped chocolate to the saucepan once the milk and cream mixture has heated through. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes pale and smooth. This will help create a creamy custard base.

To avoid scrambling the eggs, slowly pour a small amount of the hot chocolate cream mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Once the egg mixture has warmed up, gradually pour it back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream, whisking continuously.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook the custard, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 5–7 minutes. Be careful not to let it boil, as this can curdle the mixture.

Once the custard has thickened, remove it from the heat. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits of cooked egg. Let the custard cool to room temperature, then cover it and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight for the best texture.

Once the custard has chilled, pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It should take around 15–20 minutes to reach a soft-serve consistency.

During the last few minutes of churning, add the toasted shredded coconut and chopped pecans to the ice cream mixture. This will ensure they’re evenly distributed throughout the ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours to firm up.