Cream Cheese-Topped Carrot Muffins

I just happened to have some extra carrots leftover from this recipe, and coincidentally came across this recipe. I love carrot cake, and this recipe was in a muffin form. I also had exactly 4-oz cream cheese waiting to be used, and a jumbo muffin pan screaming for attention. While the original recipe looked delicious, I wanted to make it healthier, so I adapted the recipe by adding whole wheat flour, using less sugar, and subbed low-fat yogurt for the oil. The results were moist, light, and chock full of flavor with a dollop of sweetened cream cheese on top. They looked and tasted similar to muffins you'd find at a cafe. An easy and health(ier) breakfast muffin to go.

Carrot Muffins
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup shredded carrots (roughly 3-4 carrots, shredded), patted dry
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water or rum for 10 minutes

Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare your muffin tins by greasing with cooking spray or using paper liners.
2. Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside.
3. In separate bowl, beat the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla together until lightened.
4. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.
5. In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients; set aside.
6. Fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet egg/oil mixture and stir until just combined.
7. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Top each filled muffin cup with a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling.
8. Bake about 17-25 minutes*, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

*If making standard sized muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes.
*If making jumbo sized muffins, bake for 23-25 minutes.

Source: As seen on Joelen's Culinary Adventures, originally from The Delicious Life