Starbucks-Inspired Pumpkin Muffin and a feature!

A few years ago, a friend and I went out for coffee and shared an ah-mazing pumpkin muffin (or was it a cupcake? Let's call it a mupcake...such a fine line) from Starbucks. 

 Rolling in around 470 calories,

 needless to say, these babies are terrible for you!

{Now that's scary!}
Have no fear, I've got it covered!
 

Now, before you judge a muffin by its icing, let me explain. 

Ok, so I made these guys with cupcakes in mind. However, when I tasted one, it just screamed breakfast! So, I decided to try the icing with a bit less sugar and maple syrup in place of the extract..put a little less than usual on each one and wham-o! A tasty, seasonal, perfectly acceptable breakfast treat. Notice, I did say treat. I am not under the false impression that these guys are actually a balanced meal, but I do think that they are wholesome enough for a chilly Autumn morning. That said, I changed the name to muffin and I'm sticking to it.
           Health-ified Pumpkin Muffins

(Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, not packed

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with 12 liners. 

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and applesauce. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and enjoy!

Maple Frosting

6 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Now that's better. 

:-)

Side note:

Today was a great day! It all started this morning when I saw that I was featured on Love Stitched! 





Have you seen Brittany's blog? It's adorable, you need to check it out!  She's hosting the final week of her Halloween Recipe Project...don't miss it! 

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