Spiced Vanilla Pear Muffintops

I was in the mood for something healthy, something sweet, and something delicious.  With a fridge stocked to the max with pears and dried fruit, I decided to experiment a bit.

Sweet

I wanted them to be sweet, but without tons of sugar.  So I boiled dried fruit for 30min, threw in the food processor with a little avocado for creaminess, a few TB Honey and Agave nectar, and 2TB powdered sugar and viola!...Sweetener!

Healthy

I also substituted 1/2 c of whole wheat flour instead of enriched white flour. 

Moist

I added cream cheese (2 TB) instead of oil or butter.  (It is a healthier fat, and full of protein and calcium)

Delicious

The dough was a bit flour-y, so I added 1/8c skim milk and 1/2 c water.  It was soon the perfect consistency.

Pear-filled

The best part was adding all the pears and spices.  I probably added 2-4TB Cinnamon (yes, these muffins have a kick to them!)

Crumbly

Spiced Vanilla Pear Muffintops

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-35 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup whole wheat flour
•1/2 cup all-natural sweetener (1/2c pureed dried fruit, 1TB honey, 1TB agave, 2TB powdered sugar, 1TB avocado)
•1 TB baking powder
•1/2 tsp salt
•3 TB cinnamon
•1/2 tsp ginger
•1/4 tsp nutmeg
•2TB Cream Cheese
•2TB egg whites
•2 TB Vanilla
•1/2-3/4c warm water
•2 large, ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray
Combine flour, sweetener, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine water, egg whites, cream cheese, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add egg white mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in chopped pear. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them 1/2 full, and bake for 10 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 18 muffin tops.  (or 12 muffins if you fill them 3/4 full)
High in protein, fiber, and whole wheat!

A Winner! :-)

Enjoy!

In other news, I decided to take today as a rest day since I am running the RACE FOR THE CURE tomorrow.  Time to deck out in Pink!!!! yay!

Happy Friday!

XOXO
Hannah