Review: Panera's New Bakery Items Lineup Delivers More Hits Than Misses

Panera has been celebrating the summer with a number of new additions on its menu that are sure to titillate your taste buds. From avocado toasts to sandwiches to the return of two beloved bagel flavors, customers have been delighting in these hearty items that are perfect for breakfast and lunch alike. But for those seeking a sweet treat to dunk into a hot cup of coffee or to tame those mid-afternoon hunger pangs, five new bakery items have hit the shelves: an Almond Pastry, Cherry Pastry, Cranberry Orange Cake (seasonal), Coconut Macaroons, and Chocolate Coconut Macaroons.

In conjunction with the launch of these new baked goods, Panera invited us to sample their new sweet treats. As a professional chef and baker who has traveled extensively throughout France, I consider myself a bit of a pastry snob, so I was eager to taste test these desserts first hand to see for myself how they fared. I sampled each and based my reviews on visual appeal, aroma, texture, and flavor, factoring in my personal preferences and expert knowledge of baking. Read on to find out which of these new baked goods from Panera were hits and which were misses.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

The first treat I sampled was the Almond Pastry. I am a sucker for a classic almond croissant or Danish, so I had high hopes for this baked good. I was hoping for bold almond flavors and a light, fluffy pastry crust. Sadly, I was let down on both of these fronts. The aroma of this pastry lacked any notable almond notes, favoring the sweet powdered sugar elements of the icing atop instead. The texture was quite dry and dense, not light, fluffy, and buttery, as advertised.

At first bite, the flavor lacked much by way of almond, favoring a hint of cinnamon that was pleasant, but not enough to make me particularly excited about this treat. When I cut the pastry in half, there were some ground almonds mixed with sugar that made for a slightly more moist interior that was a hint more flavorful. That said, I couldn't get past the overall dryness of the pastry, which left me somewhat disappointed.

The Almond Pastry retailed for $4.19 at my local Panera. Each pastry contains 480 calories, 38 grams of fat, 300 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein. 

If I had to give this pastry a grade, it would get a C-. It could have benefited from a few seconds in the microwave, but I'm not sure this would have made a marked difference in my overall opinion of this treat.

The Cherry Pastry suffered a similar fate to the Almond offering, in that it was notably dense and not particularly flaky and buttery. That said, it was slightly more successful in featuring the cherries, which gave it an edge over the Almond variety. The aroma again lacked much by way of cherry notes, with the sugary icing dominating.

Having learned from the Almond Pastry, I immediately cut this treat in half, opting to sample it from the center where there was the most cherry filling. This was a good call, as the moist cherries did benefit the lackluster pastry markedly. The cherries themselves tasted like a good quality cherry pie filling, which for some may be a nostalgic trip down memory lane. While that was not my personal favorite flavor, as I found it on the cloyingly sweet side, it wasn't a deal breaker.

The Cherry Pastry retailed for $4.19. It contains 340 calories, 14 grams of fat, 320 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. 

Again, this pastry would have benefited from a turn in the microwave to help warm it a bit and tenderize the pastry. With that, I gave this treat a solid C grade.

The tide started to turn with the Cranberry Orange Cake, which reminded me of a cross between a classic buttery pound cake and a fluffy Italian sponge cake. Where the other pastries were dense and dry, this cake retained its moist, tender texture, likely owing to the inclusion of sour cream to the recipe, which acts as a natural tenderizer.

The aroma of this cake oozed citrus elements, which was quite welcoming. Its flavor followed suit, rife with orange zest and just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the citrus without masking it. If I had any complaint it was that I couldn't taste the acidity of the sour cream and the dried cranberries were few and far between. A hint more of both would have provided more complexity with a bolder tartness that would have complemented the sweeter cake. That said, these are minor and did not detract in any way from the quality of the cake.

A hearty slice of this cake retailed for $4.19. Each slice contains 360 calories, 13 grams of fat, 310 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. 

I'd give this cake a solid B+ grade. It would be great dunked into a cup of hot coffee or savored with a cup of orange pekoe tea.

When it comes to Coconut Macaroons, I tend to be super picky. These were the signature treat I baked for guests of the inn I ran for nearly 18 years, and I prided myself on moist, flaky, not chewy macaroons. At first glance, I was anticipating these dainty macaroons to be dry and hard, but I was quite mistaken. When I cut it in half, I was pleasantly surprised by how easily it gave, having a delightful luscious texture and coconut flakes that were not overly prominent.

The aroma of this macaroon was distinctly that of coconut, with just a hint of vanilla and almond extract in the background. Its flavor followed suit, being potent in the coconut department, and not overly sweet. The thin layer of chocolate at the bottom of the macaroon did not distract from the star of the show, but rather gave a hint of added flavor that was pleasant.

This treat retailed for $1.99. They contain 190 calories, 10 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein apiece. 

As macaroons go, I gave this one a solid A grade. It was well executed, the perfect size, and I would definitely order one as a treat to stave off those afternoon hunger pangs.

Because I so enjoyed the plain Coconut Macaroon, I had a little trepidation going into sampling the Chocolate iteration. I worried the chocolate would overwhelm the coconut and make it too sweet. Again, I needn't have worried. This treat was dynamite. From the first sniff, the coconut and cocoa powder were well-balanced, playing off of each other in harmony. When I cut the macaroon in half, it was equally as moist as the plain one, having a luscious texture that wasn't grainy and didn't have that signature chewiness that shredded coconut can often have.

In keeping with the aroma, the flavor of this macaroon was perfectly integrated, with both the chocolate and coconut featuring equally as stars of the show. The macaroon was sweet, but not overly so, and it had a nice lingering bittersweet chocolate aftertaste that was pleasant with a hot cup of coffee. For anyone who might be a chocolate lover, this is a winning combo that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This treat sold for $1.99 each. They contain 190 calories, 10 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein each. 

This treat earned an A grade from me as well, though for my palate, I'd typically opt for the plain one over the chocolate iteration any day just because it reminds me of an Almond Joy candy.

Having reviewed previous newly introduced baked goods from Panera, including the signature CinnaTops, I went into this sampling somewhat skeptical simply based on my prior experience with their pastries. Though they tend to excel in flavor, they often lack in texture, being somewhat dry and dense. This may have as much to do with the freshness of the baked goods as it does with the quality of them. Nevertheless, I can only go by what I am eating at the moment I purchase it.

While I didn't love all of these new offerings from Panera, three of the items were home runs that I would definitely recommend highly: the Cranberry Orange Cake and both of the Macaroons. Certain types of pastries require great finesse from a well-trained pastry chef. These types include laminated doughs, like puff pastry and croissants, which involve painstakingly incorporating butter into layer-upon-layer of dough, resulting in that buttery, flaky texture we all know and love. Though the Almond and Cherry pastries weren't necessarily striving to be croissants or puff pastry, they did appear to attempt to achieve those delicate layers that make for a delectable texture. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in doing so. For my money, I would stick to the Cranberry Orange Cake and the Macaroons. These were flavorful, had a delightful texture, and were a good value when it comes to a sweet treat.