Breakfast Bagel Bites
May 13, 2019 by Nicole Collins
I have been a on a MAJOR breakfast kick lately.
Who am I kidding? I’m ALWAYS on a breakfast kick!
Are you guys mad? Are you getting tired of the brekkie/brunch recipes I’ve been pumping out?
I must warn you. If you say yes, I’m going to question our friendship. Just saying…
There are times when a recipe pops into my mind, and I (almost obsessively) can’t stop thinking about it until I make it. Sometimes, I’m just so sure about a recipe. I know exactly what ingredients I want to use. I know exactly how it’s going to taste. I know exactly how I’m going to stage the pictures. And, I’m totally confident that it’s going to be a success on the first try.
Today’s recipe is one of those recipes.
What’s funny about this particular recipe is that I had everything in my pantry or fridge to make these just how I saw them in my mind except for one little item….chives. I had dried chives, but I needed fresh chives for a list of reasons I’m going to get into right now. But, the problem was that I couldn’t just run out to the store and get them.
My new puppy suffers from some separation and crate anxiety, so I can’t just come and go at my leisure like I used to. He can’t be trusted even for a few minutes home alone outside of the crate (ask the 2 sets of blinds and two door weather strippers that have lost their lives). And, he goes into total hulk mode after 30 seconds in his crate. Sometimes, it’s just not worth the hassle of putting him away for a 10 minute trip.
But, when I have these recipe ideas bursting from the seams of my mind, I truly go crazy until the moment I can put the whisk to the bowl and start creating. I wish the days away until I can get the recipe out of my system. I only had to wait an extra day before I went out again for today’s recipe; but the second I walked back in the door, this happened:
Breakfast Bagel Bites!
Now, you’re probably thinking that was a LOT of build up for such a simple and basic recipe. But, I’m telling you. When simple + basic = delicious, it really doesn’t get much better.
To start this recipe, we need some adorable mini bagels. This is a pretty standard item available in grocery stores these days. And, I think they’re just the cutest things. We cut them in half, give them a spritz of olive oil cooking spray, then we give them a quick toast in the oven.
While the bagels are toasting, we can work on our eggs. We’re going to do a quick scramble of some eggs whisked with cream, salt, pepper, and, of course, lots of chives! We’re going to scramble the eggs until they’re just set and still a teeny bit wet. They still have to do some time in the oven, and we don’t want them to be horribly dry.
To top our bagel bites, we’re going to use our scrambled eggs, some crumbled bacon, and double the cheese! First, take a slice of American cheese, cut it in fours, then lay it straight on top of the toasted bagels. This will help glue the eggs to the bagel so they don’t fall right off at first bite. Then, we load the eggs and crisp bacon on top, add a little mound of shredded mozzarella cheese to give everything a nice gooey seal from the top side, and give it another 10 minutes in the oven to allow the cheeses to melt. That’s it. They’re ready to eat!
These bagel bites couldn’t be a more classic breakfast sammie flavor. But, they’re such a fun twist on traditional breakfast thanks to being opened faced and mini sized. What a fun meal for the kids, a breakfast for dinner bite, or dish for a brunch party!
And, pro tip: you can make a big batch of these, wrap them up, throw them in the freezer, and reheat them in the oven whenever you need a quick breakfast. It’s great! 10 mins for a delicious breakfast is always a “thumbs up” in my book.
Alright, everyone! I don’t want to press my luck by giving you too many brekkie ideas at once, so we’re going to shift gears a little on Friday. But, not for long. Because, breakfast is pretty much on my brain 24/7 which means it gets to be on yours too!
Enjoy this one, and let’s eat!
Breakfast Bagel Bites
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
4 mini bagels, split in half
½ tbsp unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp chives, minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 slices American cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup shredded mozzarella
olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bagel halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Spritz the top side of the bagel with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven, and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the scrambled eggs: Add eggs, cream, chives, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. Melt butter in a small non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add eggs, and cook for 5-6 mins until set, stirring constantly. Set aside.
Cut each slice of American cheese into 4 squares. Top each toasted bagel with 1 square of American cheese, eggs and bacon divided evenly, and 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese in that order. Return to oven, and bake for an additional 10 mins until cheese is melted and starts to brown. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*Stirring the eggs constantly helps them to keep a nice creamy texture while incorporating the butter into the eggs so they don't dry out when they go in the oven on the bagel bites.
*You don't need to spray the baking sheet with olive oil before you arrange the bagel halves. Only the tops get sprayed. Magically, they don't stick!
*You can make a big batch of these ahead of time and freeze them for a make ahead breakfast! To reheat them, take them straight from the freezer, place them on a foil lined baking tray, and bake them at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.
