Skinny Pumpkin and Cream Muffins

Most of you are probably still sick of pumpkin from the overload of recipes that you saw and made for Thanksgiving. I, on the other hand, am still craving the stuff. When I find something I like, I stick with it. Notice that about my oatmeal obsession? Yes, I am a creature of habit.

For those of you who are sick of pumpkin and never want to see the orange stuff again, you might want to reconsider. Pumpkin puree is a great ingredient for making recipes lighter and "healthier". Substitute pumpkin puree for some or all of the fat/oil in a recipe and you can enjoy your favorite baked item with fewer calories and fat grams. Plus there is an added bonus of fiber and vitamins that the pumpkin provides. Sounds like a win in my book! So, that's exactly what I did with these muffins. You won't find any fat or oil in these babies; instead, just lots of fresh flavors and moisture from the mashed bananas and pumpkin puree.

 

Another skinny ingredient that I snuck into these muffins is whole wheat flour. This flour provides fiber and is more wholesome than regular all-purpose flour. But to fool your eyes and taste buds, I added half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. Tricky, tricky. I also added a cream cheese layer that looks decadent and rich, but is actually made with reduced fat cream cheese. Can you tell that I really enjoy making skinny sweets that are just as aesthetically pleasing and delicious as their full-fat counterparts? I also love recipes that are easy to make and don't take a lot of time to mix and bake. This recipe has alllll of that. Still not sold? Well, why don't you make a batch of these muffins and let them doing the talkin' for themselves.

Skinny Pumpkin and Cream Muffins (adapted from The Realistic Nutritionist)
(16 muffins)

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour*
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

8 ounces low fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a regular size muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add mashed bananas and pumpkin puree and mix together. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add brown sugar and mix into pumpkin batter. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated, careful not to over mix the batter.

In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese. Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla, and egg, mixing until ingredients are all combined.

Fill muffin cups about 1/3 full with pumpkin batter. Top the pumpkin batter with cream cheese and spread evenly. Carefully spoon remaining pumpkin batter on top of cream cheese layer and smooth out until cream cheese layer is mostly covered. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the muffins completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*You could substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour to make this recipe healthier.

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Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 176.2
Total Fat: 4.5 g
Cholesterol: 45.5 mg
Sodium: 111.5 mg
Total Carbs: 34.5 g
Fiber: 2.2 g
Sugars: 19.7 g
Protein: 4.8 g

Pros:
-Easy to make
-Delicious
-Doesn't taste skinny
-Great for breakfast, snack, or dessert
-Pretty presentation

Cons:
-High in sugar (you could use sugar substitute instead of granulated sugar in cream cheese filling to reduce sugar content)