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These Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels are chewy, full of cheese and spice!

There is nothing better than a fresh baked bagel.

Especially one with bits of jalapeno and crusty bubbled cheddar baked right on top. It may seem like a long drawn out task to make your own bagels at home, but you’ll soon find out that it’s quite simple and well worth your time.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels

I am typically a savory over sweets kind of gal. If I had to choose between a bagel and a doughnut, I’d go with a bagel.

{Unless the doughnut had sprinkles…}

So when I stumbled upon Jessica’s recipe for some homemade bagels, I knew I had to try it out.

I have been hooked ever since.

A close up of a mixing bowl with activated yeast

One thing I am not hooked on is potty-training.

Not so much.

A hand holding a measuring cup of flour above a mixing bowl

I knew it was time to get rid of the pull-ups when my little screamer walked up to me with a clean pull-up and a few wipes and said, “Mom, you need to change my diaper.”

Now before you go and start judging me…

No– she is not 5 years old, she just has a very good vocabulary.

and…

No– she was not sporting a “loaded” diaper, she just knew she was wet.

A hand needing the Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel dough

I’m pretty sure my neighbor-friend took me down a few notches on the parenting poll when she came over and saw my 2 year old wandering around bottomless.

Carpe- diem…or something like that.

A close up of Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel dough in a bowl, before it rises

It wasn’t till I brought home some Dora panties that she finally agreed to cover her sweet little behind.

Apparently princess is out, and Dora is in.

I would buy a Dora costume and prance around the house repeating myself three times if it got her to use the potty.

Luckily it never came to that.

A close up of Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel dough in a bowl, after it has been rising

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… she is a smart girl.

Takes after her mom. {that’s both a good and bad thing}

A close up of a ball of dough on a pan and dough sliced into sections behind it

It only took minimal bribing to get her to potty on the toilet. I asked her what she wanted as her reward for filling up her sticker chart and she promptly replied, “Shoes!”

Again….

She is not 15 years old, she is just 2!

Balls of dough on a pan covered in plastic wrap

I fear that this could escalate into a problem later on in life.

But ‘eh, I’ll let her future husband deal with that.

A close up of raw bagel dough on a pan, with a hand making a center hole

As long as she is using her little potty, not wandering around half-naked, and wearing cute new shoes, I am one happy mama.

Bagels frying in a pot of oil

Eating fresh bagels also happens to make me one happy mama.

One key thing to making bagels is to boil the dough in a large pot of water with a tablespoon of brown sugar mixed in. This will help them rise and stay full.

It only takes a few minutes per bagel, then you just plop them down onto a baking sheet. Shred some cheddar cheese. I prefer sharp, but you can use whatever kind you like.

A hand sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese on top of a raw bagel on a pan

Sprinkle a small handfull onto each bagel and pop them into an oven.

The only thing that is a bummer about these bagels is the amount of time it takes to make them. It requires time to let the dough rise, not once, but three times. I tried a few batches by skipping one of the rise times and wasn’t satisfied with the bagels as much as when I let them rise all three times. It’s worth the extra effort it takes to make these. If you have time on a weekend you can make a large batch and then have them throughout the week.

A display of two slices of bagels on a plate.

Of course toasting a freshly made bagel is the only logical thing to do. You can go with butter, but I am more of a cream cheese kind of gal.

A bagel sliced in half with cream cheese spread on it, displayed on a plate

I have even used these bagels to make myself an egg and avocado sandwich, it was heavenly!

A close up of Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels on a cutting board

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