Bagels -- Maple Pecan Bagel-nuts

This morning I slept in for a change! I slept for about 9 hours, which is what I typically get in 2 nights. Needless to say, I awoke feeling extremely energetic and refreshed this morning. Hubby had an appointment at 10:30, so I decided to take advantage of my morning alone and experiment a bit with one of my existing recipes for Bagel/Squagels. While I like my Bagel/Squagels just the way they are, my point in making them that way was basically to say "don't get hung up on the shape or look of old favorites like bagels". To prove that you could still make a tasty non-traditional substitution that accomplished the same purpose, last November I made bagels in a cookie sheet and simply cut them into squares; some with holes (squagels), some without holes (bagel toast) and some cut into sticks (bagel sticks)! Mission accomplished -- they helped to fulfill the joy of having a bagel-like device to slather with butter or cream cheese and enjoy with a cup of coffee or alongside eggs!

So, as I opened my eyes this morning...I thought -- Holy Moly -- I have a donut pan now...I wonder what would happen if I tried placing my bagel/squagel dough inside that and made ROUND bagels instead of Bagel/Squagels! Recently, I have also been thinking about making a non-savory version of my bagel/squagels...more along the lines of a cinnamon-raisin or chocolate chip type bagel. Since it is fall, I decided to go with a more fall-like flavor of maple pecan bagels. I wanted them to have a sweet undertone but not a dessert-like sweetness, if that makes any sense. So, I embarked on my ROUND bagel journey this morning. I decided to halve my regular Bagel/Squagel recipe (just in case they didn't turned out they way I had envisioned). I essentially stripped my old recipe of the herbs, spices and savory flavors and made a few other minor tweaks as well. I replaced the savory flavor with the flavors of maple, cinnamon and pecan and sweetened it with Swerve and a few drops of stevia. The new recipe made 6 beautiful round "bagels". I enjoyed one for breakfast this morning, sliced in half and spread with softened cream cheese alongside a cup of Nantucket Blend coffee. It was a perfect breakfast for our damp, chilly, overcast morning. I really enjoyed them. Because they don't have the "tough chewiness" of a traditional bagel, you should cool them thoroughly if you plan to slice them in half (since they are more fragile when hot). To cut mine in half, instead of placing it sideways on a cutting board and cutting it in half vertically, I placed it flat (bottom side down) with my hand on top and used a sharp serrated knife to carefully cut it horizontally (slowly so I didn't cut my hand accidentally). The texture of these was more dense than the donuts I made last week which were more light and cake-like in texture. These were more solid but not as dense as my Bagel/Squagels, probably because of  being cooked in a more enclosed donut pan and not having the same surface area exposed like you get when spreading out the Bagel/Squagel dough. I really liked these - they turned out like a cross between a bagel and a donut -- a "Bagel-nut" of sorts (half bagel, half donut). Whatever you call them...you will call them delicious! If you decide to toast the sliced bagel-nuts, I would recommend using a toaster oven, if you have one, since they are a bit softer than my Bagel/Squagels (which toast nicely) or a traditional bagel. You can easily change the flavors and spices and make it more or less sweet to customize to your own taste. I snapped a few photos as well as the recipe for my Maple Pecan Bagel-nuts below. Enjoy!

Batter is in the pan...topped and sprinkled

Fresh out of the oven...

For perspective...this is how much they puffed up when baked (with batter to the top)

Maple Pecan Bagel-nuts
Makes 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut flour, sifted
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
3/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1/4 cup confectioners style Swerve (or powdered erythritol)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
7 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil or coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure maple extract
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
12 drops stevia, or to taste
Toppings, optional (1 tablespoon granular Swerve or erythritol, 1/4 cup chopped pecans)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray a 6-cavity donut pan with olive oil or coconut oil spray and set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl, mix first 6 dry ingredients together with a whisk to help break up any lumps. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; add eggs, water, oil, maple extract, apple cider vinegar and stevia; mix until well combined.  Dough will be thick and somewhat sticky. Divide and spoon batter evenly among 6 molds; smooth tops with a finger, lightly dampened with water.

If desired, sprinkle with granular sweetener and chopped pecans, lightly pressing into top of bagels.  Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the bagel feels done when lightly pressed near center.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing. Enjoy warm spread with cream cheese or butter, if desired.

*Note - Apple cider vinegar helps leaven the dough a bit and won't be tasted