Apple Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bites

Bagels have never been more fun than these apple cream cheese stuffed bagel bites! Cinnamon bagel bites are filled with a roasted apple cream cheese filling for a delicious breakfast or snack.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Apples: The best apples for baking are those that maintain their structure and flavor during the baking process such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, and Jonagold. For a more tart filling, you can also use Granny Smith apples.
• Cinnamon: The warm spice pairs with the apples and bread to complement the flavors.
• Cream cheese: A soft, mild-tasting cheese made from a mixture of cream and milk that goes hand in hand with bagels.
• Brown sugar: The sweetener adds a slight caramel flavor to the roasted apple filling that enhances the fruit.
• Active dry yeast: A form of yeast commonly used as a leavening agent in bread and other baked goods. It needs to be dissolved in warm water before use. You can use instant dry yeast if you prefer and skip the step of activating the yeast.
• Bread flour: A high-protein flour with a higher gluten content, which makes it ideal for bagels.
• Honey: The distinct flavor of honey helps flavor the bagels from the start to the finish from the dough to the boiling water.

Substitutions and variations

• Fruit: Try this recipe with another fruit such as pears or peaches.
• Flavors: You can incorporate other spices such as a chai spice blend or pumpkin spice for different variations.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare cream cheese filling

Begin by preparing the roasted apple cream cheese filling. Peel and chop two apples into 1-inch chunks. You don't want to cut the apples too big or they won't fit in the bagel bites, too small and they'll melt away.

Toss the apples with brown sugar and cinnamon and spread them on the prepared baking sheet. Then, scatter small pieces of one tablespoon of butter on top. Pop the apples in the oven and roast them for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Once roasted, let the apples cool.

Feel free to roast the apples the day before.

While the apples cool, beat the softened cream cheese with the remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to get that smooth texture.

Fold in the roasted apples until well combined along with any juices that may be on the baking sheet. Then, scoop the cream cheese filling into heaping tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a lined baking sheet for a total of 20 portions. Try to get an even amount of cream cheese and apples in each portion.

Chill these in the freezer until ready to use. By chilling the cream cheese filling, it'll make it easier to stuff the dough later on.

Step 2: Make dough

Now, let's prepare the bagel bites dough. Combine active dry yeast with warm water and honey. Stir gently and let it sit for five minutes or until the yeast is activated, and the mixture turns foamy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast mixture with bread flour, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes until it's smooth. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand until smooth. If you find that the dough is too dry, add another tablespoon of water.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 45 minutes.

Step 3: Shape bagel bites

After the dough has rested, punch it down and divide it into 20 portions. I like to weigh out each portion to make sure they're all the same size.

Then, roll each portion into a ball and flatten it into about a 4-inch circle. If you can get it slightly bigger, even better. It'll make it easier to fill.

Place a portion of the cream cheese filling in the center and gather the edges to close the filling. A little handy tip: don't get the edges of the dough wet or it'll be more difficult to seal the edges.

Gently roll into a circle and place it on a lined baking sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining portions. Then, cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Boil and bake

While the apple cream cheese stuffed bagel bites are resting, bring 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of honey to a boil. Carefully add a few of the bagel bites into the water and boil for 15-20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bagel bites and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to spray the parchment paper with cooking spray before placing the bagels on top to prevent them from sticking. Repeat until all the bagel bites are boiled.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Brush the bagel bites with egg wash and sprinkle a good amount of cinnamon sugar on top.

Finally, bake the bagel bites for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly on a wire rack. Enjoy the bagel bites warm or at room temperature.

Don't you just love it when the idea in your head turns out to be just as good in real life? Well, these apple cream cheese stuffed apple bites were just that. They have that great chew that bagels all have but with a slightly softer texture. The center is bursting with lovely cinnamon-roasted apples with a touch of creaminess from the cream cheese, reminiscent of my spiced apple galette with caramel cream cheese or oatmeal sandwich cheese with apple cider cream filling. Good thing these are mini because I can shove more into my mouth at a time!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: The bagel bites can be baked ahead of time and gently reheated until warm before serving.
• Store: Store any leftover bagel bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes for best results.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

Print Recipe

Apple Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bites

Yields 20 bagel bites

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread

Servings: 10

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Roasted apple cream cheese filling

• 2 apples, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks (425 grams)
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar (62 grams)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces (14 grams)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bagel bites dough

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (6 grams)
• 1 ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 tablespoon honey (21 grams)
• 3 ½ cups bread flour (518 grams)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Remaining ingredients

• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons honey (42 grams)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss chopped apples with 1 tablespoon brown sugar (12 grams) and cinnamon. Lay on the prepared baking sheet and scatter butter on top. Roast apples for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Beat cream cheese with remaining ¼ cup brown sugar (50 grams) and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in roasted apples until well combined. Scoop cream cheese filling into 1 heaping tablespoon balls and place on a lined baking sheet. You should have a total of 20 portions. Chill in the freezer until ready to use.
• Prepare bagel bites dough. Combine active dry yeast with warm water and honey, gently stirring to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes or until yeast is activated and mixture is foamy.
• Combine yeast mixture with bread flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead dough for 7-8 minutes or until smooth. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes.
• Punch down dough and divide into 20 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch circle. Place the cream cheese filling in the center and gather the edges to close the filling. Gently roll to shape into a circle and place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining portions. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• Bring 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of honey to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Gently add a few of the bagel bites into the water and boil for 15-20 minutes. Remove bagel bites with a slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining bagel bites.
• Add 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl until well combined. Brush bagel bites with egg wash and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake bagel bites for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm with extra cream cheese if desired.

Notes

Use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, or Jonagold apples for the bagel bites.