Orange-Date Pumpkin Muffins

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 standard 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Puree orange sections in a food processor. Add egg, egg white, pumpkin, sugar (or Splenda), honey and oil; process until mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and dates, and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with nuts.
4. Bake the muffins until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: Muffin tin with 12 (1/2-cup) cups

• Tip: In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, sucralose is the only alternative sweetener we test with when we feel the option is appropriate. For nonbaking recipes, we use Splenda Granular (boxed, not in a packet). For baking, we use Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking, a mix of sugar and sucralose. It can be substituted in recipes (1/2 cup of the blend for each 1 cup of sugar) to reduce sugar calories by half while maintaining some of the baking properties of sugar. If you make a similar blend with half sugar and half Splenda Granular, substitute this homemade mixture cup for cup.

Nutrition