The Best Pastry Desserts on the Panera Bakery Menu
By Lana Kisner | December 26, 2023
As one of the most popular bakery café chains, it’s no surprise that the Panera bakery menu offers a variety of pastry desserts that are made fresh daily. From cookies and brownies to muffins and scones, Panera’s pastries come with classic and unique flavors that are good for a sweet treat in the morning or an afternoon snack. Some of them are also available in variety packs, which are great for sharing with friends and family. I’ve rounded up every Panera pastry and ranked them based on their taste and overall experience. Read on to find out how your favorite desserts at Panera stack up.
19. Blueberry Muffin
Panera’s Blueberry Muffin is a simple yet tasty dessert to have any time of day and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee. You’ll get a freshly baked muffin filled with blueberries and topped with a layer of sweet and crumbly streusel.
18. Croissant
Whether you’re in the mood for a sweet or savory pastry, a croissant is always a good idea. Panera’s version is the perfect amount of flaky and buttery with just a hint of sweetness. It’s baked fresh to achieve a golden-brown exterior and makes for a great snack or side to your favorite dish.
17. Mitten Cookie
The Mitten Cookie is one of Panera’s seasonal desserts, and it’s pretty fun to eat. A traditional shortbread cookie is baked fresh into a cute mitten shape and then decorated with icing to give it a holiday charm.
16. Lemon Drop Cookie
The Lemon Drop Cookie puts a citrusy twist on the classic sugar cookie flavor. It’s made with lemon juice and other natural flavors, and then Panera gives its final touch with a powdered sugar topping. You can order it individually or in a 4-pack to share with family and friends.
15. Bear Claw
The Bear Claw is a tasty stuffed pastry that gets its name from its unique shape. Panera bakes their version with a sweet almond filling. Once baked, the pastry is generously covered in sliced almonds and drizzled with sweet icing.
14. Kitchen Sink Cookie
True to its name, this Panera cookie includes everything but the kitchen sink. It’s made with milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, caramel pieces, and bits of pretzels, then topped with salt flakes. All these ingredients give the cookie a burst of sweet and salty flavors. It’s also larger than a typical cookie, which makes it perfect for sharing.
13. Cranberry Orange Muffin
This sweet and tangy muffin from Panera combines whole cranberries with orange zest. It’s also topped with turbinado cane sugar for extra sweetness. Like many pastries from Panera, it’s baked fresh daily and pairs great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.
12. Candy Cookie
If you’re looking for a cookie with a unique flavor, this one may be right up your alley. The Candy Cookie is topped with colorful, semi-sweet chocolate candies, which makes it fun for kids and adults alike. You can order it individually or in a 4-pack.
11. Blueberry Scone
Blueberry scones are a classic breakfast pastry, and Panera’s version is baked to perfection. It’s made with a cream base, which keeps it moist. It’s then infused with dried blueberries, so you definitely get that sweet-tart blueberry flavor. You can order a full-size or a mini-size as part of the mini-scone value pack.
10. Vanilla Cinnamon Roll
A cinnamon roll makes a sweet breakfast or an afternoon snack, and Panera’s version will surely delight. It’s freshly baked with a sweetened dough that’s stuffed with a cinnamon-sugar filling and topped with vanilla-flavored icing. You can order it individually or in a 4-pack.
9. Chocolate Croissant
Almost anything tastes better with chocolate on top, right? I already mentioned that Panera’s croissant is extra flaky and buttery, so we’re off to a good start. The semi-sweet chocolate that fills the croissant is quite tasty, and the flavor is further elevated with a chocolatey drizzle and powdered sugar on top.
8. Brownie
I absolutely love ooey-gooey and chocolatey brownies, and if you’re like me, you’ll love this Panera dessert. Their brownies are rich in chocolate flavor and reminiscent of fudge with a soft, cake-like texture. They’re dusted with powdered sugar on top, which not only makes them more delicious but also visually attractive.
7. Pumpkin Muffin
Pumpkin is a popular fall flavor, but you can enjoy it year-round at most Panera locations. Their Pumpkin Muffin is made with real pumpkin and topped with streusel and powdered sugar to give it a delicious and beautiful finish.
6. Chocolate Chipper Cookie
When you’re craving something sweet, you can’t really go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. Panera’s version is made with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and milk chocolate flakes to create a cookie with lots of chocolate flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. You can order them individually, in a 4-pack or one-dozen pack to share with friends and family.
5. Oatmeal Raisin With Berries Cookie
This Panera cookie is the ideal sweet treat for anyone looking for a relatively healthier dessert. It’s a soft oatmeal cookie made with raisins and dried cranberries. Dried strawberries and blueberries are also infused into the mix for an additional boost of flavor. You can order it individually or as part of the one-dozen mixed cookie pack.
4. Pastry Ring
The Pastry Ring combines multiple flavors and serves up to 12 people, so it’s the perfect dessert to get if you’re hosting a party. It’s a ring-shaped pastry that’s stuffed with cherry and cream cheese filling. This is then topped with streusel and icing for a decadent finishing touch.
3. Chocolate Chip Muffie
If your favorite part of a muffin is the top, then you’ll love Panera’s Chocolate Chip Muffie. It cuts out the rest of the muffin and gets to the good stuff right away! It comes with semi-sweet chocolate chips, so you’ll get that chocolatey flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. The center is chewy, and the edges are crunchy like a good muffin top should be!
2. Orange Scone
I love all of Panera’s scones, but the orange flavor is definitely my favorite. It has a creamy base, which keeps the scone super moist. The rich orange flavor is front and center here, and you can really taste it with every bite. It also comes with orange-flavored icing on top to amplify the flavor. Just like its blueberry counterpart, you can order a full-size or a mini-size as part of the mini-scone variety pack. Pair this with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, and you have a delicious, sweet breakfast!
1. Pecan Braid
I love the taste of pecans, and that’s why the Pecan Braid is my favorite dessert at Panera. It starts with a tasty pastry dough that’s twisted and braided to get its unique shape. The pecan filling and butter are mixed into the dough, and once it’s baked, more pecan pieces and icing are added on top for extra flavor. This is the perfect sweet breakfast for me when I pair it with a cup of coffee. It’s also a fun alternative to the traditional Bear Claw.
