Raspberry Cream Cheese Paninis

It seems I’m always the last to know about celebratory food days.  I’m pretty sure I’ve missed every national cookie day (Dec. 4th), national peanut butter day (Jan 24th) and every other food “day” in the history of this blog.  Who comes up with this stuff anyway?

Lo and behold, April is grilled cheese month. An entire month!  I’ll be darned if I miss out on celebrating grilled cheeses – especially the sweet variety with chocolate ganache dipping sauce.

This month-long cheese party aligns perfectly with April’s Panera Bread post.  You’ve got to have good bread for grilled cheese nirvana, and their Country Miche is perfect for grilling.

On a side note, I’ve really loved working with Panera Bread these last few months.  Last Sunday, when I went to pick up a loaf of bread for this post, I started talking to one of the employees at the register about the charity work Panera Bread does in our community -specifically, the “Day-End Dough-Nation”.  Have you heard of this?  Every day at closing Panera Bread’s bakery items are packaged up and sent to local food banks.  Here in Knoxville the donations go to Second Harvest Food Bank of East TN, which in this day and time is such an important resource in our community.

If your community would like to reach out to Panera Bread for “Dough-Nation” you can read all about it on this page , or submit a donation request here.  To keep up with the latest news, follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Paninis 

with Chocolate Ganache Dipping Sauce

Yield 4 pieces (4 half-sandwiches)                                                                           [click to print]

Sandwich

4 slices Panera Bread Country Miche

4 oz. cream cheese softened

4 tbsp raspberry jam

Butter for spreading on bread

Place a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat.

Spread 2 oz. cream cheese on one slice of bread, and two tbsp. raspberry jam on another slice.  Repeat with other two slices of bread.  Sandwich together jam and cream cheese covered pieces and butter each side of the bread.  Place sandwich in hot grill pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until cream cheese and jam are melty and bread is golden brown.

Chocolate ganache sauce:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Place heavy cream and chocolate chips in a microwave proof bowl.  Heat at 30 second increments, until cream is hot and chocolate can be whisked smooth.  Whisk in butter until well incorporated.  Serve immediately with Raspberry Cream Cheese Paninis.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Excellent twist on standard grilled cheese! These look so decadent. Yum!

Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
12 years ago

This looks INCREDIBLE! Totally brings me back to when I was a little girl and my grandma used to make me cream cheese and grape jelly sandwiches. I'm definitely liking this "grownup" version! 🙂

Chels/Catz in the Kitchen
Chels/Catz in the Kitchen
12 years ago

Gorgeous and I love this idea. I think my husband could make this for us one morning. Thanks for sharing another fabulous recipe 🙂

Sue
Sue
12 years ago

I can do this! 🙂 Time to make a trip to Panera for some grilling bread! Can't wait to try it.

Unknown
Unknown
12 years ago

that great to know that panera does that, this recipe looks super good! I will have to try it out with my daughter.

Shannon
Shannon
12 years ago

Oh Wow! This might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You had me at chocolate ganache dipping sauce!!

Federica Simoni
Federica Simoni
12 years ago

complimenti!mette l'acquolina solo a guardare!!!

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

These look so awesome! Great recipe.

Rosa's Yummy Yums
Rosa's Yummy Yums
12 years ago

Devilishly scrummy! Those look awesome.

Cheers,

Rosa

Unknown
Unknown
12 years ago

Oh my gosh, these look so good! This is so funny to me, because the other week I had some marble-rye bread with cheese sprad and strawberry jam and my boyfriend looked at me like I was crazy. I still haven't been able to convince him how good it is!!

Caelyn
Caelyn
12 years ago

wow, these are GORGEOUS. yum.

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
12 years ago

He is totally missing out Jess!

Cookbook Queen
Cookbook Queen
12 years ago

When I was a kid, cream cheese and jelly sandwiches were one of my favorite things. One time, my mom packed a sandwich with strawberry jam and strawberry cream cheese in my lunch and all the girls at my table were all "you have a pink sandwich!!"

And then I ate it and it was good.

But yours looks way butter. Duh. Love it!!

Unknown
Unknown
12 years ago

I love your blog, and have especially been loving the Panera posts! Our church is a recipient of our local Panera's Dough-Nation – so every Sunday when we come to church we all share the bread donated. It's *such* a blessing especially in these economic hard times! LOVE PANERA! Thanks for your great recipes! 🙂

Jessica @ How Sweet
Jessica @ How Sweet
12 years ago

Can you make me these tonight please? 😉

steph
steph
12 years ago

This is almost exactly the same as our mid-week, must-have-dessert cravings. Except I replace the bread with soft tortilla shells and make "dessert-adillas". (a play on "quesadilla") Knowing how good those little contraptions are, I can only guess how wonderful and perfect for quenching the low-effort sweet craving these are.

Su-yin
Su-yin
12 years ago

Oh Heather that first photo with the partially dipped panini almost made me lick my screen! Lovely photos and recipe.

I did not know that April was grilled cheese month! An excuse to eat more cheese, this is. 😉

Unknown
Unknown
12 years ago

Wow, dessert panini and so lovely, something I haven't tried yet. You have such a wonderful blog featuring so many of my favorite things;-)

Lindsey @ Hot Polka Dot
Lindsey @ Hot Polka Dot
12 years ago

What a simple yet brilliant idea! I love the combination of cream cheese with raspberry! I also love that photo of the raspberry with the cute little mint leaf.

snippets of thyme
snippets of thyme
12 years ago

We are really fond of their Tomato Basil bread but the Country Miche does come in second. I buy a couple of loaves at the beginning of the week. Wonderful shots of these sandwiches. I have had a berry/cream cheese sandwich combo.

The Sweetylicious
The Sweetylicious
12 years ago

omg! that look so lovely and yummy! (: (:

Josh
Josh
12 years ago

Whoa! looks amazing!

oh, buckets' blog
oh, buckets' blog
12 years ago

I love the way you think! 🙂

Lilianna Grace
Lilianna Grace
12 years ago

Beautiful! Oh I do love panini's! I normally make savory ones, like the proscuitto, mozzarella, basil ones I made the other night. I've made Nutella Panini's, but your panini gives a whole new meaning to the word. Your a culinary saint!

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

I love your blog. I had subscribed via email, long time back but never got any updates via email. WOnder what went wrong.
But glad to be back and its all good stuff

Amy
Amy
12 years ago

OMG! These paninis are calling my name! I can't wait to make some over the weekend! 😀

Amy
http://utry.it

Michael
Michael
12 years ago

I buy a loaf of the Country Miche every week for our lunches. When it runs out (because it eventually does by Thursday), the kids whine about the cheap stuff. I love a grilled sandwich on the Country Miche with turkey, sliced apples, avocado, cheddar cheese and pepper jelly. Yum.

Lucy@The Sweet Touch
Lucy@The Sweet Touch
12 years ago

Grilled cheese month!?!? I like it!

This looks really tasty:)

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef
Erika Beth, the Messy Chef
12 years ago

This panini looks decadent! Can a panini even look decadent? Well, this one does!

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

This looks really delicious! I love grilled cheese sandwiches but rarely have the sweet kind!

Jess @ Sugar High
Jess @ Sugar High
12 years ago

Oh MY, that looks incredible!

mitzi @ my nikon eats food
mitzi @ my nikon eats food
12 years ago

april is grilled cheese month?? i love april even more now 😀

Your Sissy, Amy
Your Sissy, Amy
12 years ago

Great blog! My mouth is watering from the pictures. Do you know if panera has brought back the chocolate duet cookie yet? I miss you!

Patricia Scarpin
Patricia Scarpin
12 years ago

If it's any consolation, I'm completely out of the loop regarding food days. 😀

Those paninis look so tempting! I love raspberries in just about anything. And that loaf of bread looks so tender! Delish!

Ashlea Taylor
Ashlea Taylor
12 years ago

These look just plain delicious. I have made a panini with chocolate and brie and the sweet with cheese is such a great combo. Can't wait to try some rasberries.

Yaneri
Yaneri
12 years ago

ummm yum yum!!! These look so heavenly devine!!! I thought these were from Panera Bread….you made these…wow!!! Heavenly delish!!!

Yaneri

Shirley @ Kokken69
Shirley @ Kokken69
12 years ago

Oh my! This is a trillion times more morish than a peanut butter jelly sandwhich!

Crystal Lee
Crystal Lee
12 years ago

I love grilled cheese as well. Kudos on the chocolate dipping sauce…makes grilled cheese that much more fun! So I am a newer poster, I assume not too much on this site is of the healthy kind? LOL! Just the way I like it. I am a true Southern girl and butter is my middle name. 😀 I give Paula a run for her money. Thanks for the recipes and great pics!

mere
mere
12 years ago

Those look delicious. The local bakery occasionally makes a chocolate-cherry sourdough, and I love using it to make grilled cream cheese sandwiches.

Mary Bergfeld
Mary Bergfeld
12 years ago

That is some sandwich. It looks and sounds delicious. I am new to your blog and have spent some time browsing through your earlier posts. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

Kristi7
Kristi7
12 years ago

Holy cats… this looks so YUM!

Heather Ozee
Heather Ozee
12 years ago

Roxy adores anything cream cheese. I'll have to show her 😉
Love Ya!

Teri
Teri
12 years ago

What's not to love about this!!! Somehow I doubt mine would look this amazing! Fantastic!!!

Xinmei @ Pudding Pie Lane
Xinmei @ Pudding Pie Lane
12 years ago

This looks amazing! Very glad I found your blog, I like your recipes 🙂 I've always seen a shop do a chocolate and banana panini and my friends thought that putting sweet things into it were really weird, but I think it's awesome! I'm sure there will be a random 'banana and chocolate day' soon :p

Rachel Cannon Humiston
Rachel Cannon Humiston
12 years ago

Wow, this looks purely fantastic! I used to love cream cheese and jam as a kid 🙂 I bet this could also be altered to use different cheese and jams or honey. Fantastic!

Katie @ This Chick Cooks
Katie @ This Chick Cooks
12 years ago

Heather- This looks fantastic and I love your amazing photos! I bet that the cream cheese and raspberry together are heavenly.

Joy
Joy
12 years ago

That would make a wonderful snack. Ok I would probably eat this for breakfast.

marla
marla
12 years ago

Cream cheese & raspberries are one of my all time favorite combos. Love this Heather. The ganache makes it extra fab!!

Katie @ This Chick Cooks
Katie @ This Chick Cooks
12 years ago

I'm featuring your paninis today in my "These Chicks Cooked" spotlight! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Katie

MrsJenB
MrsJenB
12 years ago

Thanks to Kate @ This Chick Cooks, I've found your blog! This sandwich looks divine, and I want so badly to have one right now! 🙂