These Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins made with whole wheat pastry flour and without butter or oil.
As I’m typing this it is 69 degrees outside and I’m wearing plaid. I’m in full on fall mode my friends!
Ever since mid August I have been dreaming of all things pumpkin. It’s time for pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin truffles, all the pumpkin things!
Today I decided to make a batch of healthy pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins.
Ingredients to make pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins
- whole wheat pastry flour
- vanilla extract
- canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- eggs
- brown sugar
- pure maple syrup
- baking soda
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- plain 0% greek yogurt
how to make healthy pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: pumpkin, vanilla extract, brown sugar, maple syrup, greek yogurt, and eggs.
Step 3: Add dry ingredients to wet, whisking until just combined (do not over mix)
Step 4: Make the cream cheese swirl mixture. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar and beat until well combined
Step 4: Line muffin tins with muffin liners. I personally like to use parchment paper muffin liners so that my muffins never stick.
Step 5: Fill muffin liners ¾ of the way full with muffin batter. This made 22 muffins, or 24 smaller ones. Use a toothpick to swirl a generous teaspoon or so of cream cheese mixture onto the tops of each muffin.
Step 6: Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While I still use sugar in this recipe, these muffins are not overly sweet.
They are savory and perfectly pumpkin spiced with a sweet cream cheese topping mixed in.
This muffin recipe is the perfect way to transition from eating the zucchini bread muffins of summer to pumpkin spice everything!
The combination of pumpkin puree and a little bit of greek yogurt leaves these muffins soft and moist without the use of any oil or butter at all.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!
Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins
Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins recipe
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 15 oz canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup plain 0% greek yogurt
For the Cream Cheese mixture
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set aside
- In a separate bowl, add pumpkin, vanilla extract, brown sugar, maple syrup, greek yogurt, and eggs
- Whisk until well combined
- Add dry ingredients to wet, whisking until just combined (do not overmix)
- To make the cream cheese mixture, first beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy
- Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar and beat until well combined
- Line muffin tins with muffin liners
- Fill muffin liners to ¾ full (I made 22 muffins)
- Start by placing one heaping teaspoon measure of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin. If you have any leftover at the end, add more to the muffins as necessary
- Use a toothpick to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the tops of the muffins
- Bake at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Store in the fridge and serve chilled
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
22Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 219mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 15gProtein: 6g
Shavon
Tuesday 14th of November 2017
Can you substitute the brown sugar and the regular sugar for maple syrup?
Joy Shull
Thursday 16th of November 2017
I think you could substitute the brown sugar since it is in the muffin, but the texture of the cream cheese swirl mixture depends on the use of a granulated sweetener (the 1/4 cup of sugar.) If you try maple syrup, be sure to beat the cream cheese alone first before adding it or the mixture could look curdled. Let me know if you try it!
cakespy
Monday 11th of September 2017
No butter, no oil, no problem when they look this good. Bookmarking the delicious looking muffins!