Everything Bagel Truffle Oil Croutons

These croutons are my new weakness! I wanted some croutons to bring to the Baltimore Homemade Trade event this past month and figured I would just use whatever bread I had lying around the house. There happened to be a ton of everything bagels in my pantry and once I got the idea in my head about these croutons, I had to make them. This recipe makes about six servings of croutons (one serving per salad or sitting, if you will).

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40+ minutes

Ingredients
Four (4) Everything Bagels -- I used the Thomas brand
1/4 cup of olive oil
One (1) teaspoon of truffle oil
Two (2) cloves of garlic, minced -- optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Slice bagels into your preferred crouton-sized cubes.
In a bowl, combine olive oil, truffle oil, and garlic.
Lightly toss the bagel pieces until they are mostly coated with oil.
Place on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
Bake for 20 minutes and then flip the croutons.
Bake for another 20 minutes. At this point, check to see if the croutons are hardened. If not, turn oven to 325F degrees and continue to bake in 15 minute increments until they are hard.
Remove from oven and let cool completely. The croutons can sit out for awhile while they cool, as they might continue to harden as they sit out.
Store in a plastic sandwich bag or Tupperware until ready to use. They should last about a month.
Enjoy!