Iced Pumpkin Fiber Muffins!

Pumpkin is a fantastic ingredient to consider for use in your baking.  It weighs in as a low calorie food at only 30 calories per cup, and it lends a fantastic moisture to your baking that makes it easy to bake without oil or butter.  I have scoured the internet to find a good, healthy, pumpkin muffin recipe, and here it is:  The Hungry Girl does it again! 


These muffins are delightful!  They are made with one of my favorite sources of fiber, that being Fiber One Cereal (All Bran is my other favorite source).  They taste great with or without icing.  Should you choose the 'with icing' alternative, consider sprinkling a little cinnamon (and maybe just a little extra Splenda) on top.



Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins, chopped

Icing
1/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
3 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl.
 Add flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, soda, egg substitute, syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Add mixture to the large bowl and stir until blended to form the batter.

Slowly sprinkle and stir chopped raisins into the batter. Evenly distribute batter among the 10 prepared cups of your muffin pan. (Batter may be piled high... This is OK!)

Bake in the oven until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine all icing ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Mix until smooth and blended. (Refrigerate icing if you don't plan to serve muffins right away.)

Remove cooled muffins from the pan. Just before serving, warm icing in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle it onto the muffins (or simply spread it on evenly). Enjoy!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 iced muffin

APPROXIMATE: 

Calories: 150
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 4g

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

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