Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie Recipe

Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie is a massive, bakery-style treat known for its chewy texture and rich combination of milk chocolate, buttery toffee, and crunchy walnuts. Ideally the dough should be scooped into large, jagged mounds rather than rolled into smooth balls to create those signature craggy, crisp edges found at the bakery.

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Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chunks)
• 1/2 cup toffee bits (such as Heath bits)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

How To Make Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie Recipe

1. Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Cream the Butter: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the egg is fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until no flour streaks remain.
5. Add the Mix-ins: Gently fold in the milk chocolate chips, toffee bits, and chopped walnuts using a spatula. The dough will be thick and textured.
6. Scoop: Use a large ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup capacity) to drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheets. Space them at least 3 inches apart as these cookies spread significantly.
7. Bake: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and crispy, but the centers should still look slightly soft and underbaked.
8. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. This step is crucial as the toffee needs time to set; if you move them too early, they will fall apart. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Tips

• Toffee Selection: You can use “Heath” bits or chop up full candy bars. If chopping bars, try to keep the pieces around the size of a pea so they melt evenly throughout the cookie.
• The “Bang” Method: If your cookies are puffing up too much in the oven, open the door halfway through baking and lift the pan up and drop it onto the rack. This ripples the edges and creates a dense, chewy center.
• Nut Toasting: For a deeper flavor, toast your walnuts in a dry pan for 3 minutes before adding them to the dough. This amplifies the nutty flavor against the sweet toffee.
• Don’t Over-mix: Once you add the flour, mix gently. Over-mixing develops gluten which creates a tough, bread-like cookie rather than a tender, chewy one.

What To Serve With Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie

Cookie accompaniments are comforting beverages frequently enjoyed as an afternoon pick-me-up or a cozy evening treat. Ideally the coffee should be a dark roast to balance the intense sweetness of the milk chocolate and toffee pieces.

• A hot cup of dark roast coffee or an Americano
• A chilled glass of milk (dairy or almond)
• Panera Bread Green Tea
• A scoop of butter pecan ice cream

How To Store Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie

• Room Temperature: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Placing a slice of white bread in the container keeps them soft.
• Refrigerate: Refrigeration is not necessary and can make the toffee bits sticky and the cookie hard.
• Freeze: You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Alternatively, freeze the dough balls and bake them from frozen, adding an extra 2 minutes to the bake time.

Panera Bread Toffee Nut Cookie Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 310 kcal (per cookie)
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Protein: 4g
• Fat: 16g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 24g

Nutrition information is estimated per cookie based on a yield of 12 large cookies.

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