So had to share this: PUMPKIN-CREAM BREAD

I think we all have great pumpkin bread recipes. It's so easy to make and so perfect for the season.  Pumpkin mixed with cinnamon and spices and baked into a pie or bread is on the top of my list of favorite things in this world.

Which leads to the biggest problem I end up having with it: I could easily sit down and eat a half a loaf of a good pumpkin bread. Then, I could see myself taking a break for an hour and coming back to eat the other half.

I'm speaking from experience.

So my goal here was to play around with a recipe to make it so I could still wolf it down like a glutton but not feel so guilty about it.

Because I honestly believe that even though moderation is a wonderful thing in life, some things are meant to be exceptions.

Chocolate is one.

And a bread that I wait all year to make is the other.

So after tweaking some ingredients and getting rid of others altogether, this is what resulted. It's probably not as sweet as my favorite pumpkin bread (that can easily be fixed by adding more sugar which I don't want to do), but it was the perfect pumpkin texture and really quite good (especially the second day)!

The ribbon of cream cheese is a tasty addition. There are about 46 calories per slice.

Pumpkin and Cream Bread

Yield: 2 loaves (14 slices each)

Batter:

1-1/2 c. pureed pumpkin

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

1 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. Stevia Cup For Cup sweetener

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Cream filling

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 T. all-purpose flour

2 egg whites

1 t. vanilla extract

1. For the Batter: With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, Stevia, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

2. For the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites and flour until creamy and smooth.

3. Grease 2 8x4x2" loaf pans. Divide half of the batter between the two pans. Pour half of the filling in one pan and the other half in the second pan and smooth with the back of a spoon. Top with the remaining batter.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don't overbake or your bread will be dry on the edges. Cool and remove from pans. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

One serving (2 slices) = about 100 calories