Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Weight Watchers-friendly)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Weight Watchers-friendly)

Ingredients:

For the muffin batter:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute with whole wheat flour)

1/2 cup granulated sweetener (such as Stevia, Swerve, or Splenda) or 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

For the cream cheese filling:

4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sweetener (such as powdered Stevia, Swerve, or regular powdered sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick spray.

Prepare the cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, powdered sweetener, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Make the muffin batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Assemble the muffins: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of muffin batter into each muffin cup. Then, drop a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin. Top with a little more muffin batter, covering the cream cheese filling.

Bake the muffins: Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin (away from the cream cheese center) comes out clean.

Cool: Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Points Breakdown (per muffin):

Blue Plan: 3 Points per muffin

Green Plan: 4 Points per muffin

Purple Plan: 3 Points per muffin

Note: The points may vary depending on the specific ingredients you use (such as different sweeteners or flours). You can also adjust the portion sizes to lower or increase the points if needed.

Enjoy your delicious, guilt-free pumpkin cream cheese muffins!