Homemade Maple Spice Pumpkin Bagels Recipe - Celebration Generation (2024)

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Recently - this is Thanksgiving week, after all - I was looking at some pumpkin puree in the fridge, and trying to decide what to do with it.

We’ve been going through a ton of pumpkin lately - it really is the star ingredient of fall cuisine, so it’s the right time of year for it! - so we’ve been cycling through many partial cans of puree lately.

This particular bit of puree was leftover from when I made my Traditional Pumpkin Mousse, and I didn’t want to waste it.

I decided that it was time to finally do a sweet bagels recipe for the blog. Sweet AND seasonal, while also clearing out leftovers - how’s that for efficiency?

These delicious pumpkin bagels are the perfect seasonal bagel for easy weekend breakfasts, especially when served with flavoured cream cheese spread.

The flavorful pumpkin bagels combine subtle sweetness from the pumpkin and maple with a bit of spice. The moisture of the pumpkin purée gives the a nice texture to these chewy bagels.

They’re definitely different from my regular bagel recipes - by design!

Designing Delicious Bagels

This pumpkin spice bagels recipe was designed in the same way most of my baked recipes are, these days: Grilling my husband with a bunch of questions.

“Do you want X or Y?”, “What are your thoughts on spices?”, etc.

This time it was:

“What about pumpkin bagels?” (“YESSSS!!”)

“For sweetener, what do you think of maple syrup for it? (“YESSS!!!!”)

“What do you think of these fall spices / proportions?”

“Sweetened boil or nah? Maple syrup?”

That last question actually got put out to all my friends on FB, because I am a horrendous stereotype when it comes to Maple Syrup (Yes I WILL do shots of it), and wasn’t sure if I was going too far, LOL!

Finally, I got it in my head that we should do a custom cream cheese for it, which he was 100% in favour of.

Couldn’t end up deciding, though, so both recipes are included in this post: Spiced Apple Cream Cheese, and Maple Walnut Cream Cheese.

The Result?

This recipe is one of those ones that smells amazing from the beginning - even as the raw bagel dough - and will drive you nuts as you wait for the rise.

As they were baking, the whole house filled with the aroma. Even though I knew better, I would easily have believed that there were pumpkin pies baking in the oven.

The finished bagels are nicely chewy, and the pumpkin pie smell hits you before you even take a bite.

My husband is standing over me right now as I write this, happily snacking on a cold one - with nothing on it - talking about the pumpkin pie smell and flavour.

Says it's the "flavors of fall - kind of an unholy union of pumpkin pie and bread. In a really good way, though!"

Anyway, a few things to note about making these bagels, before getting to the recipe:

Homemade bagels feel like such an indulgence, but this is actually a really easy recipe to make.

10 minutes or so from the start to having the dough rise, a few minutes to form them, let them rise for a bit, and boom - in the oven.

Then it’s just around half an hour until you’re having some of the best bagels of your whole life! Really, nothing beats fresh from the oven!

Anyway, if it’s your first time making your own bagels, you should check out my post How to Make Bagels, to get a bit of a foundation, and some ideas of where to go with it.

From there, I’ve got recipes for Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Bagels, Pumpernickel Everything Bagels, Seeded Whole Wheat Flax Bagels, and Smoky Cheese Bagels , Roasted Red Pepper Bagels, and Marble Rye Bagels- something for everyone!

Today’s recipe is something different, in that it’s the first explicitly *sweet* bagel.

Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients, that you should be able to find in any grocery store. A few notes for you, though:

Pumpkin Puree

For the pumpkin, be sure to use actual canned - or fresh - pumpkin puree. That is, a smooth mash that has real pumpkin - or “squash” - as the sole ingredient.

Pumpkin pie filling is something else entirely, and has a lot more ingredients, including added sugar. It can also vary between brands.

This recipe was developed for the puree, not the filling.

It won’t use an entire can - especially if you’re using a big can - but I have some other pumpkin recipes you can use the leftovers on, like Pumpkin Pancakes, Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins, Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns, and Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars.

Maple Syrup

I use a LOT of maple syrup in this recipe, between the bagels themselves, the boil, and in one of the cream cheese recipes, so it’s an important ingredient.

To clarify - because it’s come up before - when I say “maple syrup”, I mean literally maple syrup - the boiled-down sap that comes from maple trees each spring.

Maple flavoured pancake syrup is not maple syrup, and I wouldn’t recommend using it in this recipe.

We’re spoiled here in Canada, and really great maple syrup is way cheaper where we are now, than the not-great stuff we’d get when we were still in Minneapolis... so I totally get that it can be cost prohibitive.

If you’d like to swap maple syrup out - for any reason - honey also works with this recipe, in the same amounts.

Also, the maple in the boil is optional. I did it for a bit of extra sweetness and caramelization on the outside, but you can skip it, if you’d like!

The maple, I mean. You still want to boil them, even if in plain, unsweetened water!

As an alternative, you can mix 1 tablespoon of maple syrup in with the egg and water, and brush it on after the boil.

Spices

I use individually measured Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, Ground Ginger, and Ground Nutmeg in this recipe.

If you’re prefer to use a premixed pumpkin pie spice, that works too. I recommend using 3 ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you’ll need:

All Purpose Flour (can use bread flour, don’t use self-rising flour.)
Active dry yeast (can use instant yeast)
Vanilla Extract
Large Egg
Salt

... I just don’t have any notes for you on these ones!

Optional Toppings

If you’re someone who likes the tops of your bagels to have a little texture, you can sprinkle some toppings on.

You’ll want to do this after the egg wash, right before baking.

Some things we’ve used for crust texture include:

Shelled Pumpkin Seeds
Pearl Sugar
Maple Sugar Flakes
Maple Sugar Pebbles
Cinnamon Sugar

Homemade Flavoured Cream Cheese

We decided to make a custom cream cheese to go with this recipe. After floating a bunch of ideas between us - including the potential for pumpkin-flavored cream cheese! - we couldn't decide... so we designed two!

Both are fantastic, and take only minutes to make.

Spiced Apple Cream Cheese Spread

1 brick Cream cheese
1 Apple, peeled and grated
2 tablespoon Brown Sugar, packed
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
pinch Nutmeg
pinch salt
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract

Soften cream cheese. Beat until smooth, and set aside.

In a small pan, combine grated apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until apple is soft.

Add apple mixture and vanilla to the cream cheese, stir to combine.

Transfer to a covered container, chill until use.

Homemade Spiced Apple Cream Cheese

Maple Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

1 brick Cream cheese
⅓ cup Walnuts
¼ cup Maple syrup
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract

Soften cream cheese, set aside.

Finely chop walnuts, place in a small, dry nonstick pan.

Cook over low or medium-low heat until nuts are fragrant.

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth.

Add walnuts, maple syrup, and vanilla to the cream cheese, stir to combine.

Transfer to a covered container, chill until use.

Homemade Maple Walnut Cream Cheese.

How to Make Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels

The full recipe follows - in the recipe card at the end of the post - but here's a pictorial overview:

Make Your Bagel Dough

Measure warm water into a glass measuring cup or bowl.

Stir in ⅓ cup maple syrup and yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.

In a large bowl - or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment- combine flour, salt, and spices.

Add the remaining ⅓ cup maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Pour in yeast mixture, stir until a shaggy dough forms.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (Or a clean surface with a silicone sheet), knead dough until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes.

Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Note: If a too sticky dough forms, add a little bit of flour - 1-2 tablespoons of flour - kneading in until the dough is only barely sticky.

If your dough seems really dry, add a small amount of additional water.

Once the dough is fully kneaded and becomes a smooth ball, place dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let dough rise in a warm place for one hour, or until doubled in size.

Note: I’ll usually spray the bowl with a bit of cooking spray, but you can use a small amount of melted butter, if you prefer.

Form Your Bagels

Once the dough has doubled, punch it down, and - on a clean work surface - divide it out into equal pieces.

We divided the mixture into 8 equally sized balls, a medium-large sized bagel.

You can divide into 6 for really large bagels, or 10- 12 for smaller bagels.

Line a baking sheet - or two - with parchment paper.

There are two main ways of forming bagels –

1: Roll each piece of dough into a thick “snake” and secure the ends together, or

2: Roll each lump into a smooth ball before poking an index finger though the center of each ball.

Once you have a hole made, stretch the ring of dough out a bit to enlarge the hole and form the bagel shape.

Personally, I prefer the second method.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than boil.

If you're using the optional ¼ cup maple syrup in the boil, stir it in now.

2 or 3 at a time, carefully drop bagels into the lightly boiling water, allow to cook for 1 minute, then use a slotted spoon to flip each.

Let the bagels boil for another minute.

After draining well, place bagels on the prepared baking sheet(s).

In a small bowl or mug, whisk egg together with 1 tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to brush this egg wash over the sides and top of each bagel.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes (for 6), 37 Minutes (for 8). or 35 minutes (if you're making 10-12), until golden brown.

Let the bagels cool for 4-5 minutes before serving - a wire rack helps!

These are great served with the earlier-mentioned flavoured cream cheeses, plain cream cheese , pumpkin butter, or even peanut butter.

Leftovers

Leftover bagels can be cooled to room temperature and transferred to large Ziplock bags or an airtight container.

Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or so.

Best served warm - toasted, or reheated for 30 seconds in a microwave, then finished off in an air fryer.

This gives it a fresh baked taste and texture!

More Fall Eats

Looking for more cool weather, “autumn” type recipes to enjoy as the leaves change? I’ve got you!

Acorn Squash Tortellini with Nutmeg Cream Sauce
Hearty Corn and Black Bean Soup
Homemade Hard Apple Cider

How to Make Candy Apples
How to Make Pumpkin Mead
How to Roast Chestnuts
Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Smoked Serrano Drizzle
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breast

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

More Pumpkin Recipes

When fall is here, is there anything better than indulging in some pumpkin goodies? We’re down for all things pumpkin, whether for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a random Tuesday!

Here are our favourite ways to use the gourd!

Baked Pumpkin Custard
Copycat Pumpkin Spice Latte
Easy Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
Easy Pumpkin Martini
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
How to Make Pumpkin Mead
Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

... and from my other blogs:

Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs
Keto Pumpkin Bars
Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin Chia Pudding

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