So what even are bagel bombs? Well, they are essentially small balls of bagel dough filled with cream cheese! They’re boiled and then baked like regular bagels, resulting in a chewy exterior and a flavorful, soft interior. These carrot cake bagel combs have all the flavor and sweetness of a nostalgic carrot cake and are such a fun treat to make!
❤️ Why You’ll Love Carrot Cake Bagel Bombs
Texture Heaven: You get a fantastic interplay of textures: the satisfying chew of the bagel crust, the slightly softer interior, and the smooth, creamy filling.
Impressive and Unique: Serving carrot cake bagel bombs is a surefire way to impress your friends and family. They’re unique and show off your baking skills (even if they’re easier to make than they look ;).
Satisfyingly Sweet and Savory: The balance between the slightly savory bagel and the sweet carrot cake elements is incredibly appealing. It’s not overly sweet, making it enjoyable for a wider range of palates.
Customizable: You can easily customize the fillings and toppings to your liking. Add nuts, raisins, coconut, or experiment with different cream cheese frosting variations.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – This is unfed sourdough starter that has been stored in the fridge or on the counter.
Water – like with any sourdough recipe, filtered room temperature water is best.
Flour – I like to use Kirklands organic all-purpose flour because it is great quality and a better value. But use what you have on hand! If you like bread flour it will give the bagels a chewier texture.
Yeast – because were using sourdough discard, the yeast will make the bagel dough rise so you can make this all in the same day! I love this brand, and never have any issues.
Carrots – Grated carrots so they are thinner and smaller and easier to mix into the dough – TIP: I just use a cheese grater!
OPTIONAL: I added walnuts because I like the texture! But you can add any carrot cake ingredients you like.
👩🍳 How to Make Carrot Cake Bagel Bombs
- In a stand mixer, add your flour, instant yeast, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until the ingredients are combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your sourdough discard, honey, and water until the discard has dissolved and a milky liquid forms.
- Using your dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add your starter mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Chop up your walnuts and peel and grate your carrots and add to the bowl.
- Let your dough knead in the stand mixer on low speed for 7 – 10 minutes. This will strengthen your dough and create a smooth ball.
- When your dough is done kneading, cover with a bowl cover and let rest for 2 ½ – 3 hours.
- When your dough is done resting it should have doubled in size. Turn it over onto a clean workspace.
- Using your bench scraper, cut the dough into 10 equal sized pieces. Flatten each piece out with the palm of your hand.
- Place a tablespoon sized dollop of cream cheese right into the center of each piece of dough.
- Pinch the sides of each piece together covering the cream cheese. Try your best to get the cream cheese in the middle of each ball for better baking.
- After you have 10 sealed bagel bombs, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of molasses and 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the water. Carefully drop each bagel bomb into the water and let boil on one side for 1 minute, flip it over, and boil for an additional minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the bagel from the water and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, make your cinnamon crunch topping by whisking together the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt.
- Brush the tops of your bagels with an egg wash, and top with a generous dollop of cinnamon crunch topping. It’s okay if some spills off onto the baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 425 and bake for 18-21 minutes.
- Let the bagels cool slightly, and enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- You don’t necessarily NEED a stand mixer, but it does make life easier when making the dough come together. You can absolutely use your hands, just make sure you are still kneading the dough for 7 – 10 minutes to build structure.
- If the dough seems too sticky or too dry, add one tablespoon of flour or water at a time to your dough until it comes together and is easy to handle.
- Don’t overfill the bombs: This will make sealing difficult and can lead to leaks during boiling.
- Ensure a good seal: Pinch the dough edges together tightly to prevent the filling from escaping.
- Don’t overcrowd the boiling pot: This can lower the water temperature and affect the texture.
- Handling the Dough: Bagel dough can be stiff. If it’s too difficult to work with, let it rest for a few minutes to relax the gluten.
🗒 Variations
Life is too short for boring bagels! I have been doing a series on social media called “bomb bagels” so I can share different varieties and flavors of this fun snack. Here are a few I think you’ll love:
- Jalapeno Popper Bagel Bombs – Acts Of Sourdough
- Blueberry Lemon Bagel Bombs – Acts Of Sourdough
- Cinnamon Crunch Bagel Bombs – Acts Of Sourdough
- Strawberry Bagel Bombs – Acts Of Sourdough
🗒 Substitutions
Bread Flour: If your recipe calls for all-purpose flour, using bread flour will increase the gluten content and result in a chewier bagel texture.
Honey or Maple Syrup: Substitute sugar in the dough with an equal amount of honey or maple syrup for a different flavor profile.
Milk or Buttermilk: Substituting some or all of the water with milk or buttermilk can add richness and a slightly softer crumb.
Sweet Potato: Finely grated sweet potato can be used as a substitute for carrots, offering a similar sweetness and moisture. The flavor will be slightly different but still complement the spices.
Other Dried Fruits: Chopped dried cranberries, apricots, or dates can add sweetness and chewiness.
🗒 Best served with
- Extra Cream Cheese Glaze/Drizzle: If your filling is more of a solid cream cheese, you can make a thin cream cheese glaze (cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk/cream) to drizzle over the warm bagel bombs. This adds extra sweetness and a beautiful finish.
- Brunch Spread: Include them as part of a larger brunch spread with other pastries, fruits, and savory items or just a simple breakfast treat!
- Party Appetizer: Serve smaller bagel bombs as a sweet bite-sized appetizer at a party.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerator (Recommended for Cream Cheese Filling): This is the best option for bagel bombs with a cream cheese filling.
- Cool Completely: Make sure the bagel bombs are completely cooled before storing them. Storing warm baked goods can create condensation, leading to sogginess and potential mold growth.
- Airtight Container: Place the cooled bagel bombs in an airtight container. This prevents them from drying out and absorbing odors from the refrigerator.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! and here is how:
Wrap Individually: Once flash frozen (or if skipping flash freezing), wrap each bagel bomb individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This provides an extra layer of protection against freezer burn.
Airtight Freezer Bag or Container: Place the individually wrapped bagel bombs in an airtight freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. Remove as much air as possible from the bag.
Label and Date: Label the container or bag with the contents and the date of freezing.
Carrot Cake Bagel Bombs
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 tbs honey
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup grated carrot
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts optional
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg for egg wash
Crumble topping
- 3 tbs melted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
For the boiling water
- 1 tbs molasses
- 1 tbs baking soda
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, add your flour, instant yeast, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until the ingredients are combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your sourdough discard, honey, and water until the discard has dissolved and a milky liquid forms.
- Using your dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add your starter mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Chop up your walnuts and peel and grate your carrots and add to the bowl.
- Let your dough knead in the stand mixer on low speed for 7 – 10 minutes. This will strengthen your dough and create a smooth ball.
- When your dough is done kneading, cover with a bowl cover and let rest for 2 ½ – 3 hours.
- When your dough is done resting it should have doubled in size. Turn it over onto a clean workspace.
- Using your bench scraper, cut the dough into 10 equal sized pieces. Flatten each piece out with the palm of your hand.
- Place a tablespoon sized dollop of cream cheese right into the center of each piece of dough.
- Pinch the sides of each piece together covering the cream cheese. Try your best to get the cream cheese in the middle of each ball for better baking.
- After you have 10 sealed bagel bombs, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of molasses and 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the water. Carefully drop each bagel bomb into the water and let boil on one side for 1 minute, flip it over, and boil for an additional minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the bagel from the water and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, make your cinnamon crunch topping by whisking together the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt.
- Brush the tops of your bagels with an egg wash, and top with a generous dollop of cinnamon crunch topping. It's okay if some spills off onto the baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 425 and bake for 18-21 minutes.
- Let the bagels cool slightly, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Sign Up for a Free 14-Day Dinner Meal Plan
