day2day joys: Delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Have you seen the pumpkin cream cheese muffins at Starbucks?

I'm not gonna lie, those look so delicious and I might have had one, especially since I love all things pumpkin. However, recently the food babe did a real food investigation on that place and found some crazy findings, so I decided to try out a healthier version made with real ingredients.

Yields: 20-24 muffins

What you need:
3 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C flax meal
1 T pumpkin harvest spice
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
4 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 C sweetener (honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, I used sucanat)
2 C pumpkin puree (or one can)
1.5 sticks of butter (3/4 C)

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 cream cheese packet (16 ounces)
1/2 powdered sucanat (or powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla
1/2 t pumpkin harvest spice

optional: nut to sprinkle on top (I used sliced almonds)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Make cream cheese filling by using a mixer to combine all ingredients, set aside
Combine all muffin ingredients into a large bowl, use a mixer to mix completely but not over well
Use paper liners or parchment paper to line a muffin tin
Spoon in muffin mixture into each muffin about 3/4 full
Top with about 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture
Sprinkle with almonds or nut of your choice
Bake for 20-25 minutes
Cool on a wired rack
Enjoy.... yum, can you smell the aroma?