My days of sustaining after-school munchies with free Panera Bread baguette and raspberry iced tea that I sneakily dispensed into a water cup (don’t judge—you’ve at least thought about it) are over. On the heels of a taste test of the chain’s newest breakfast sandwiches, avocado toasts and bagels, I recently visited one of its Philadelphia, PA, restaurants to try six new, drool-worthy desserts. Read on to find out what they are—and which ones are worth the spend.
It’s My Job to Review Food, and of Panera Bread’s 6 New Desserts, This Is the Absolute Best One
Long live the pumpkin cookie
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Published Oct 15, 2024
Panera Bread
- What’s in It: buttery, flaky pastry with sweet almond filling, drizzled with icing and topped with sliced almonds
- Price: $3.89
I really wanted to love this one, but it’s a bit underwhelming. The pastry base is kind of giving supermarket croissant, and the almond filling is milder than I’d hoped. (I feel like a touch of salt would really make it sing.) That said, the slivered almonds do offer crunchy contrast to the rest of the treat.
- What’s in It: chocolate coconut macaroon cookie finished with chocolatey dip
- Price: $1.99
This one is giving Cocoa Pebbles in milk. It’s not bad by any means, but the coconut kind of gets lost in all the chocolate. I feel like a dark or bittersweet chocolate dip, or some flaky salt, would make it more complex, rather than one-note and sweet.
- What’s in It: buttery, flaky pastry with tart cherry filling, drizzled with icing
- Price: $3.89
The pastry base is just OK, but I really liked the jammy, just-sour-enough cherry filling. However, I wish there was more of it to balance out the bread-to-fruit ratio. (I wouldn’t be mad at more icing either, TBH.)
- What’s in It: coconut macaroon cookie finished with chocolatey dip
- Price: $1.99
Toasty, tropical and nutty, this macaroon is pretty flawless. I appreciate that they neatly pack in the coconut instead of making it pointy and craggy—I see you, chic-ish Panera. It sticks to your teeth in the best way, and it’s one of the cheapest desserts on the menu. But I think if the chocolate dip were a little less sweet, it’d be even tastier.
- What’s in It: pumpkin-shaped shortbread cookie decorated with icing
- Price: $3.39
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this delightfully sweet cookie, and it’s back for a limited time this fall. It reminds me of the glazed sugar cookies my mom used to bake for the holidays. The cookie itself is ridiculously buttery and a touch salty, while the glaze is hard enough to maintain its shape (except for the mushed detailing) yet creamy enough to melt in your mouth.
- What’s in It: sweet, orange-flavoredcake made with whole cranberries, sour cream and coarse sugar
- Price: $3.89
Bright, citrusy and sweet-tart, I’m a true fan of this wintry Panera dessert (or breakfast, if you’d prefer). There’s a slight orange-y bitterness that comes through that I really like, and the sugary edge gives an occasional crunch that’s the ideal foil for the supremely moist, tender cake.
