Pumpkin Spice Muffins

These are GREAT, and only 133 calories per muffin without glaze, and 153 with glaze. (I like them just as much without the glaze!) Many modifications can be made to make them lower calorie, including using egg whites and a little water instead of whole eggs, or not using the chocolate chips. They aren't the best choice, but they are super easy, and a great alternative to some of the super high calorie deserts we encounter this time of year.





For the muffins: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, and eggs with an electric mixer on high in a large bowl until smooth. Stir chocolate chips (16 tbsp=1 cup) in with a spoon. Fill each muffin liner about 3/4 to top. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. If using glaze, I recommend that you glaze the muffins while they are still hot.




For the glaze: Take room temperature butter (1 stick) and 1 package room temperature fat-free cream cheese and blend in a large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and pumpkin pie spice while mixing. Still using mixer, gradually add powdered sugar until well blended and smooth. This makes enough to lightly glaze 100+ muffins if done like I did in the picture, so you can cut the recipe down to your needs to avoid waste. You can put the glaze in a zip lock bag with a very small hole cut in one corner to "pipe" the glaze onto the muffins. I promise you, if you use the glaze, they do not need much!


WARNING: These are way better than I expected them to be. Make darn sure you have a few people to share them with!