Rainbow bagels are all the rage, have you heard? So are crazy cream cheese flavors and just about anything that is everything bagel-inspired. There’s even a recipe on The Nosher this week for rainbow bagels with strawberry funfetti cream cheese.
But I am not sure bagel chips have yet to get their proper due. They are crunchy, they are dip-able, and they are a great way to turn leftover bagels or those frozen bagels in the back of your freezer into a fun activity and snack for your kids. They are also the kind of project that lends itself to lots of variations. I made very simple bagel chips and paired them with one sweet and one savory cream cheese dip.
But the combinations are really endless. Make cinnamon raisin bagel chips and pair them with cinnamon walnut and raisin cream cheese. Or make onion bagel chips and pair them with a smoked salmon cream cheese using leftover salmon you may have from your Sunday brunch. Go crazy—or occupy your kids if ever-so-briefly and let them get creative.
One note: As it turns out, the bagel chips part of this recipe are a little trickier than one might think. I recommend making them with bagels from a good bakery or bagel shop, not the run-of-the-mill store-bought kind which I found to be too crumbly and soft to really crisp up right. They were also harder to cut.
INGREDIENTS
For the bagel chips:
4 plain bagels
Olive oil
¼ tsp salt
For the funfetti cream cheese dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
Pinch sea salt
½ cup colored sprinkles
For the savory herb cream cheese dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/3 cup chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, thyme, dill, or cilantro
4 scallions, ends removed and sliced thin
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease two large baking sheets.
Cut bagels (carefully) into as thin sliced as you can manage. Brush each side with olive oil lightly. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake on each side for 5-7 minutes, or until desired crispness. Allow to cool.
To make cream cheese spreads, first combine softened cream cheese with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Add remaining ingredients. Chill in an air tight container until ready to use. Can keep in fridge for up to 1 week.
More Recipes:
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The 5 Wine Slushies You Need to Survive Summer
