In your mixing bowl, add 250 grams of warm water, 1 ½ tablespoons yeast and ½ cup of brown sugar. Mix up and let sit for 5-10 minutes while yeast gets bubbly and active.

Add sourdough discard (totally optional, but adds great flavor and texture), salt, vanilla extract and 500 grams of bread flour. Turn mixer on low speed for 2-3 minutes or until a shaggy dough forms. If your dough is pulling away from the bowl, do not add any additional flour and just let the mixer continue to mix for 5 minutes. If the dough is still really sticky, add remaining 50 grams of flour and mix for 5-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms.

Add mini chocolate chips and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes until the chips are evenly incorporated. Dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky. This will be a fairly stiff dough.

Cover and let raise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size – about an hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Gently remove dough from the bowl and place on the counter. Don't punch it down.

Divide into 8 even sections, about 140-150 grams each, and roll into balls. Try to tuck as many chocolate chips into the dough as possible – any that are stuck to the outside will melt and disappear when you boil your bagels. Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Gently pinch the dough ball until a hole forms in the middle. Then gently stretch the hole until you have your desired bagel shape. Stretch the hole a little larger than you want it to be when it’s done baking to make up for any growth during proofing and baking. Cover and begin your second rise.

Make your crunch topping by combining melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, all purpose flour and vanilla. Mix gently with a fork. This mixture should look and feel kind of like sand. Set aside – the longer it sets and rests, the better it will work on top of your bagels.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the water and mix.

Place bagels seam side up into the boiling water. Place as many bagels as you can in the pot without overcrowding the bagels – they like a little personal space. Bagels should float within the first 10 seconds. If your bagels aren’t floating, that’s a sign they are underproofed. Let the next batch raise a little longer before boiling. Boil for 30 seconds. Then flip with spider strainer. Boil for 30 seconds on the other side. Then place on a parchment sheet pan. Your water will turn brown from some of the chocolate chips melting. Don’t panic.

Optional: whisk together one egg white and one tablespoon of water. Brush on each bagel and immediately add crunch topping. I usually skip the egg wash and my topping sticks fine and bagels brown nicely.

Bake bagels at 400 °F for 18 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes and then enjoy warm.