Chocolate Chip Bagels
These chocolate chip bagels are GOOD. The first time I ever had a chocolate chip bagel was from Einstein’s Bagels as an undergrad. We had one on campus that I used to frequent on the weekends. My go-to breakfast was a chocolate chip bagel with cream cheese and a small carton of whole milk. mmmmmm. I’ve wanted to dabble in making bagels for a while, and I finally took the plunge. I’ve made this recipe several times now, and love them so much! They are yeast-free, so they come together pretty fast.
In my opinion, YES. Boiling the bagels helps to make them shiny and it’s what gives them their chewy texture. You can skip this step, but the texture of the bagels will be quite different.
Ehhhhhh, I’m not so sure about this. If it is, it’s not by much I don’t think. You can get store-bought bagels pretty cheap.
Yes. This is the only flour I’ve ever used. I’ve successfully made this recipe with both regular all-purpose flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Make sure rack is in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F.
Make your flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of boiling water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken. You can also use 1 egg in place of the flax egg.
Fill a medium-sized saucepan (I used a 2-quart saucepan) about halfway with water. Cover and bring to a boil.
In a large bowl, melt 1/4 cup plant butter (or any other butter of your choice) in the microwave. Then warm 1/2 cup almond milk (or any other milk of your choice) in the microwave, and add to the bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix together until combined.
Add in 2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour; 4.8 oz/cup) or regular all-purpose flour (4.25 oz/cup) if you aren’t gluten-free. Mix it in with your hands to form a dough.
Add in flax egg (or 1 large egg if you aren’t vegan) and 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Mix in with your hands until equally distributed.
Step 2. Divide the dough evenly into 5 balls.
Take one ball, and on a cutting board or a plate, roll it out into a rope about 7 to 8 inches long. Then take the two ends, bring them around and join together to form a bagel. You might need to use your fingers to shape the bagel a little bit. And if you want the surface to be smoother, wet your finger and use that to smooth down the surface. Set aside your shaped bagel on a plate in preparation for boiling. Repeat for remaining balls.
Step 3. By this point, the water should be boiling.
We are now going to boil the bagels one at a time. I like to use a spatula to transfer the bagel from the plate to the boiling water. I dip the whole spatula with the bagel still on it into the boiling water. I leave the bagel on the spatula for the first minute of boiling. Then I remove the spatula and let the bagel boil for an additional minute. The reason I do it this way, is to avoid getting the bagel stuck on the bottom of the saucepan. You also don’t want to leave the bagel in contact with the spatula for too long, because it’ll get stuck there too. If this happens, you can just scrape the bagel off.
After the bagel has finished boiling, it should be floating at the top. Fish it out with the spatula and transfer to a wire rack to drip dry while you boil the rest of the bagels. Let the last bagel dry on the rack for about 5 minutes.
Once all of the bagels have been boiled and they have been allowed to dry, transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and a little golden.
Transfer bagels to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success
- I’ve made this with each combo: gluten-free flour with an egg or a flax egg, and with regular all-purpose flour with an egg or a flax egg. Using an egg gives it a much better structure and keeps it moister. You might notice that when working with a flax egg, and especially the gluten-free flour, it might dry out faster and crack. If this happens, add in a little bit more almond milk.
- It’s easiest to cut the bagels after they have cooled completely.
- These bagels toast best in a toaster oven. They can be difficult to get out of just a regular toaster.
- For a larger bagel, split the dough into fewer balls.
- Because this recipe only makes 5 bagels, you might want to consider doubling the recipe and freezing the second batch for later.
- 7 to 8 inches is the best length for the rope. If you make the rope too long, the bagel won’t look right. If you make the rope too short, you won’t be able to bend the rope around to form the bagel.
- Don’t overboil the bagels. If you boil them for too long, they will become tough.
- If you are looking for a bagel with a lighter texture, you are going to want a recipe that uses yeast.
- If you are in a hurry, you can skip the boiling step. But just be aware that they won’t be chewy and won’t have the crust.
Chocolate Chip Bagels
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plant butter, melted (OR any butter of your choice)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (OR any milk of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour; 4.8 oz/cup) (OR regular all-purpose flour; 4.25 oz/cup)
- 1 tablespoon flax egg (OR 1 large egg)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place rack in middle of the oven. Preheat to 400F.
- Unless using 1 large egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of boiling water in a small bowl to make a flax egg. Let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan (I used a 2-quart saucepan) about halfway with water. Cover and bring to a boil.
- In a large bowl, melt plant butter in the microwave. Then warm almond milk in the microwave, and add to the bowl. Add vanilla extract, granulated sugar, Kosher salt, and baking powder. Mix together until combined.
- Add in gluten-free flour. Mix it in with your hands to form a dough.
- Add in flax egg and chocolate chips. Mix in with your hands until equally distributed.
- Divide the dough evenly into 5 balls.
- Take one ball, and on a cutting board or a plate, roll it out into a rope about 7 to 8 inches long. Then take the two ends, bring them around and join together to form a bagel. You might need to use your fingers to shape the bagel a little bit. And if you want the surface to be smoother, wet your finger and use that to smooth down the surface. Set aside shaped bagel on a plate. Repeat for remaining balls.
- Boil the bagels one at a time by first transferring the bagel from the plate to the boiling water with a spatula. Leave the bagel on the spatula for the first minute of boiling. Then remove bagel from spatula and allow it to boil for an additional minute or two. After the bagel has finished boiling, it should be floating at the top. Fish it out with the spatula and transfer to a wire rack to drip dry while you boil the rest of the bagels. Let the last bagel dry on the rack for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer bagels to a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and a little golden. Transfer bagels to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
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