Blueberry Cream Cheese Bagel Cookies

Your new breakfast cookie

Lox, cinnamon raisin, everything….  I will say they are delicious bagels. But I wholeheartedly believe that the true power house, the dark horse of all bagels, is the blueberry bagel. There is something about the subtle sweetness and warm chew of this kind, lathered with thick, cream cheese, that comforts and heals me like no other. In other words, they’re superior.

My love for blueberry bagels has facilitated a similar affinity for blueberry everything. At my local donut shop, my go-to order is a blueberry cake donut. Blueberry lemon scones are my favorite. In a room of jumbo Costco muffins, I'm reaching for the blueberry crumble. Sounds dramatic, but it’s true!!

So of course, I had to make a cookie. These cookies feature a browned butter base with bread flour to replicate the fragrant chewiness of a blueberry bagel. 

The blueberry jam and two types of dried blueberries infuse this cookie with a delicate blueberry flavor and an iconic chew. The homemade blueberry cream cheese bark that gets swirled into the dough is the final component, adding a pop of color, texture, and richness to complete this heavenly treat.

This recipe is a tribute to the blueberry bagel. Although it features two separate components (the bark and the dough), it’s fairly easy to make. All ingredients and steps are outlined below!

Ingredients:

Blueberry Jam:

• ½ cup frozen blueberries

• 1 tsp sugar

Cream Cheese Bark:

• 50g white chocolate

• 100g cream cheese (softened)

• 2 tbsp blueberry jam

Cookie Dough:

• 113g unsalted butter

• 100g brown sugar

• 50g granulated sugar

• 1 egg yolk (room temperature)

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 heaping tbsp blueberry jam

• 100g all purpose flour

• 60g bread flour

• ¼ cup freeze dried blueberries

• blueberry cream cheese bark

Topping:

• Black and white sesame seeds

• Flaky sea salt

• Dried wild blueberries

Method:

Blueberry jam + Cream cheese bark:

1. Heat the frozen blueberries on medium heat until they soften. Turn the heat to medium low and mash them with a spatula. 

2. Add in the sugar and cook until it has reduced down into a thick, jam-like consistency. It should decrease to around a little less than ¼ cup.

3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a separate bowl. Set 1 heaping tablespoon aside for the cookie dough.

4. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, mixing in between. Once completely melted, mix in the softened cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the remaining blueberry jam to form a nice, purple mixture.

5. Spread the mixture into a large rectangle on a parchment lined tray. Place into the freezer to harden.

6. Once hardened, cut the bark into chunks of your desired size. Unlike other barks, this one will be softer, so I recommend making grid cuts and using a spatula to remove it from the parchment. See the photo for reference!

7. Store the cream cheese bark chunks into the freezer to stay hardened.

Cookie Dough:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Heat until it begins to bubble, then turn the heat to medium low and stir continuously. Once the boiling ceases, brown bits appear, and the nutty aroma of toasted milk solids wafts in the air, remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a large bowl. The butter should've been reduced to around 90-95g. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

2. In a separate medium bowl, sift together the all purpose flour and bread flour. Chop up the freeze dried blueberries and set them aside.

3. Once the butter is cooled, stir in both the sugars. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla until well combined. Add in the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the blueberry jam until the dough color is just almost homogenous, with bluish striations.

4. Gently fold in the flours until few flour streaks remain. Add in the freeze dried blueberries. Fold in the cream cheese bark. Be careful not to overmix. The dough should be thick, with the cream cheese patches marbling throughout.

5. Scoop and roll the dough into 12 dough balls and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chill overnight for the best flavor and chewy texture.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined tray at least 3 inches apart. Top with more dried blueberries, freeze dried blueberries, and black and white sesame seeds. 

7. Bake these at 350° for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges and tops are golden but the center looks slightly puffed. 

8. Bang your tray on your counter and top with flaky sea salt. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Additional notes:

• I usually only use half of the cream cheese bark this recipe makes. The rest can be stored in the freezer for the next time you make these (they’re that good), or for snacking/eating with real!!! Bagels!!!!!

• When making the blueberry jam, make sure it is not too liquidy. Excess liquid will make your  cookie dough cakey and less chewy.

• If you don't have bread flour, you can use just all purpose flour. It just won't have the extra chew from the higher protein content in bread flour.

• These cookies can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or chilled!

I hope this recipe reaches my fellow blueberry bagel enthusiasts! And for those who are unconvinced of their supremacy, I hope these cookies will change your mind. Happy baking:>