I’ve never been too big on breakfast foods, but over the last year, my tastes have definitely been changing. While weekday mornings are usually filled with quick bowls of cereal, TJ and I have started using the weekends as a time to get in the kitchen and make breakfast together. It’s really fun to try out new recipes, and spend that time together, doing something that we don’t have time for during the week.

These cinnamon crunch bagels are similar to the ones sold at Panera, but homemade is always better, of course! And the cream cheese is perfectly sweet, and nicely whipped so that it’s easy to spread. All in all, munching on these bagels is a fantastic way to start any weekend.

Printable Recipe
Makes 12 bagels

ingredients:
for the bagels:
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 – 3 1/2 cups flour

for the crunchy cinnamon topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

for the cream cheese:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup honey
1 vanilla bean, split

instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Add 3 tbsp brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.

Add in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 6 minutes.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise about an hour.

Punch the dough down, and shape into 12 balls. Push thumb through centers to form a small hole. Stretch the dough to form a ring. Line baking pans with parchment paper and lightly flour. Place the bagels on the pan, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Fill a large pot with water and the remaining brown sugar, then bring to a boil. Drop the bagels, two at a time, into the water. Cook for 90 seconds, turning halfway through. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain well on paper towels.

Place the bagels back on the prepared baking pans. Combine the topping ingredients, and sprinkle over the bagels.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

While the bagels are baking, combine the cream cheese and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Use the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod into the cream cheese mixture. Combine thoroughly.

Slice the bagels and serve with the cream cheese.

Enjoy!

Adapted from these recipes