There are few baked goods more comforting than a giant chocolate chip cookie, which is probably why these chocolate chipper cookies are such a popular item at Panera Bread. With this easy copycat recipe, you can make an entire batch to enjoy at home rather than spending a lot of money to buy two cookies. These treats have golden crispy edges, chewy centers, and lots of chocolatey goodness.
Don't forget to check out our other scrumptious copycat cookie recipes for Panera's kitchen sink cookies and lemon drop cookies for even more sweetness!
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Ingredients
If you're craving home baking, don't worry! This recipe uses many basic pantry ingredients that you'll already have at home. The only thing you may not have is the chocolate chunks, but those can be substituted with chips if needed.
- Cornstarch: a tablespoon of this secret ingredient makes these treats even softer.
- Egg: eggs add richness and chewiness, and act as a binding agent. If you need this recipe vegan, sub out the 2 eggs with ½ cup of apple sauce.
- Fat: we're using melted butter for extra chewiness.
- Chocolate: semisweet chunks and finely chopped milk chocolate provide lots of chocolate in every bite, and their textures incorporate nicely with the cookie. Feel free to swap out one with dark chocolate for your own twist.
Variations
- Dark Chocolate: swap the semisweet and milk for dark chocolate chunks.
- Salted Chocolate: sprinkle the balls of dough with flaked salt before baking.
- Caramel: reduce the milk chocolate by half and add ½ cup of caramel bits.
- Vegan: use vegan butter and vegan chocolate and ½ cup of applesauce instead of 2 eggs.
- Gluten Free: use your favorite measure-for-measure gluten free flour.
How to Make
Melt the butter and chop up the chocolate. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together until blended.
Beat the melted butter and the two kinds of sugar together until well combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla along with a couple of spoonfuls of the flour mixture and beat to combine.
Mix the flour mixture in two additions, stirring until no more streaks of flour remain.
Add the chopped milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate and stir until it is evenly distributed in the dough.
Drop the dough in 3 tablespoon-sized balls on a cookie sheet, spacing the cookies far apart.
Bake at 350 F for 14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 8 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Enjoy these delicious freshly baked cookies!
Questions
Panera uses semisweet chocolate chunks and finely chopped milk chocolate. Feel free to buy ready-chopped baking chunks or chop up a baking bar. Although you can substitute chocolate chips, they have a totally different shape and won't give the cookies the same texture.
This recipe was designed to make flat and chewy cookies, so if yours turn out that way, it's perfect! If you'd like them to be thicker and fluffier, use softened butter instead of melted, and don't flatten the dough balls before baking them.
It all depends how soft or crispy you like your chocolate chip cookies. I like mine crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle, so I find that 14 minutes at 350°F is perfect. They're done when the edges are a light golden brown.
If you'd like your cookies softer and less crispy, shorten the baking time by a couple of minutes. Make sure the edges of the cookies are set (firm to the touch and not gooey) before removing them from the oven. Let them continue cooling on the metal cookie sheet for 8 minutes while sitting on the counter before transferring to a metal rack.
According to the Panera website, one cookie costs $2.49, although the price can vary depending upon the location. If you're thinking of buying a lot of cookies for a party or gathering, it's much cheaper to buy the ingredients and make a whole batch at home instead.
Pro Tips
- Is the melted butter very hot? Chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
- Avoid overmixing and handle the dough gently to keep the cookies from becoming tough.
- Use chocolate chunks, not chips, for the best texture.
- Using light colored cookie sheets with parchment paper will help prevent burnt cookies.
- Be careful not to overbake or underbake. Once the edges of the cookies are a light golden brown, they're cooked.
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Recipe
Panera Bread Chocolate Chipper Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- 1 cup milk chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until blended.
- Pour the melted butter into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the two sugars, and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla along with a couple large spoonfuls of the flour mixture, then beat until blended.
- Add the remaining flour mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed between each addition until the flour is incorporated. Be careful not to overbeat, or the cookies will be tough.
- Add the semisweet chocolate chunks and the finely chopped milk chocolate, stirring on low speed until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Drop the dough in 3 tablespoon-sized scoops on 11x17-inch cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper. Place four balls of dough on each tray, spacing them far apart, and flatten them slightly to encourage them to spread.
- Bake at 350 F for 14 minutes per tray, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool for 8 minutes on the tray before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling. This allows them to finish cooking in the middle and will prevent them from breaking when you remove them from the trays.
Notes
- If the melted butter is extremely hot, let it cool for 15 minutes in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.
- Avoid burnt cookies by using light-colored baking trays lined with parchment paper or baking stones.
- The cookies in the photos for this recipe were accidentally made with 1 cup of white sugar instead of ½ cup, and they turned out delicious. Feel free to make these either with 1 cup or ½ cup of white sugar.
Alex
These cookies are crispy and light. The chocolate chunks add a creamy, sweet flavor to these airy cookies. They taste amazing when dipped in milk!
Emma
Thank you, Alex!
Beth
These cookies look yummy and definitely more appetizing than the very pale Panera Bread cookies. These copycat ones are delightfully crispy with gooey chocolate chunks scattered liberally throughout. They're definitely divine dunkers!
Emma
So glad you liked these, Beth!