Date Sugar ‘n’ Spice Raisin Cream Cheese Spread on Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes

Jamie says: I finally got around to baking the pumpkin muffin mix that “The Great Pumpkin” brought me for Halloween. Better late than never. I was committed to being in my apartment complex for four hours while I anxiously awaited my IKEA delivery, so I figured it was the perfect time to do some baking.

Date Sugar ‘n’ Spice Raisin Cream Cheese Spread on Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes

I changed the recipe on the package by adding apple sauce and chocolate chips and making my own cream cheese spread.

Gotta love the festive baking cups

The spread was a little tough to smear, but complemented the cupcake perfectly with its varying textures and sweetness.

Picture-perfect pumpkin

My sister got a batch of the mix, too. Thanks to a heads-up I got about her muffins being a little dry, I was able to doctor up the recipe, resulting muffins that were so moist I’m taking the authority to call them cupcakes!

Whether you call it a cupcake or a muffin, it’s delish!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup fat free (skim) milk
• 8 oz bag pumpkin muffin mix (Flamingo Farmers Market- Davie, FL; http://www.OldMuffinFactory.com)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg with a fork. Add canola oil, fat free milk, pumpkin muffin mix, and apple sauce. Stir to mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
2. Place 8 baking cups in muffin tins or spray 8 cups of muffin tin pan with no-stick cooking spray. Use a spoon to divide batter into baking cups or muffin tins. Bake for 23 minutes or until done.

Date Sugar ‘n’ Spice Raisin Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

• 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese spread (four 1 oz Weight Watchers individual cups)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp date sugar (Chatfield’s)
• 1 Tbsp raisins

Directions:

1. In a small/medium sized mixing bowl, add cream cheese, cinnamon, and date sugar. Blend until combined. Stir in raisins. 
2. Spread on cupcakes. Enjoy!

Servings: 8

• Nutrition note: Choose a reduced fat cream cheese to cut back on calories and saturated fat. Apple sauce adds moisture without adding additional fat.