With fall upon us and apples in season this Apple Walnut Muffin recipe is the perfect combination to snack on (or add to a school lunch) this time of year. I hope your little ones enjoy them as much as mine do! :) Be sure to bake a double batch to freeze for later.
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The other day my 9-year-old was hungry for a snack, and after rummaging through the kitchen she said, "Mom, do we have any muffins anywhere?" That girl loves some muffins, and if she's really hungry she'll try to eat two in a row (or even three!) some days. So she was thrilled today when she came home from school and said, "What smells so good?" and I explained that it was a new muffin creation in the oven ...Apple Walnut Muffins!
Apple Walnut Muffins
With fall upon us and apples in season this Apple Walnut Muffin recipe is the perfect combination to snack on (or add to a school lunch) this time of year. I hope your little ones enjoy them as much as mine do! :) Be sure to bake a double batch to freeze for later.
Print Recipe
Servings: 12 Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup water
- 5 tablespoons butter (melted. You can sub melted coconut oil)
- 1 cup apple (shredded (see instructions below))
- ¾ cup walnuts (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well (hole) in the center and drop in the eggs, syrup, water, and melted butter. Stir with a fork until well combined.
- To shred the apple either use a cheese grater or - if you really want to make it easy - use your food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Simply discard any big chunks of apple peel that didn't get shredded all the way (but keep the rest in there!). There is no need to remove any liquid or squeeze the apples dry. Gently fold both the apple shreds and chopped walnuts into the batter.
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Apple Walnut Muffins
Amount Per Serving
Calories 181
Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 40mg13%
Sodium 242mg11%
Potassium 99mg3%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 190IU4%
Vitamin C 0.6mg1%
Calcium 39mg4%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Karen says
This recipe made 1 pan of 24 mini-muffins. I used white whole wheat flour to make them a bit lighter. I agree with others; the apple taste was minimal. I made a second batch and added apple pie spice, still not enough flavor. When I make these again, I will use applesauce and small diced apple. The suggested 15 minutes was perfect timing in my oven. The maple syrup kept them from being overly sweet. Great recipe!
Angi says
My sons also loved these...although I left the walnuts out. I have not converted them to nut lovers yet.
Krisy says
Hi! Do you have a brand of whole-wheat flour that you recommend? My family doesn't like the denseness of things made with the flour I currently use so I was wondering if there was a brand that is a little more enjoyable for picky people!?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Krisy. Lisa uses King Arthur brand. You might give the white whole wheat a try if you are looking for something a little lighter. It is still 100% whole wheat. ~Amy
Kristin says
Speaking of recipes, do you have any suggestions for HEALTHY kids' cookbooks?
My 7 year old brought home a kid's cookbook from library this week, enthusiastically wanting to try out some recipes. Unfortunately, it is mostly "kiddie" food. Most recipes are so bad, that are not worth revamping to make them healthier. While she and her sisters happily help me make recipes from this website and my cookbooks, I would like to get her her own book with recipes and simple directions she can read all by herself.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Kristin. Have you made your way through this: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recommended-reading/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/11/14/cookbook-review-8-of-our-favorites/. They are not kids titles but my boys and I cook from them all the time. :)
Kristin says
Thanks, we already cook together from my favorite books. I finally found a good kids' cookbook: Chop Chop The Kds' Guide To Cooking Real Food With Your Family. (read my detailed response, on the top of the next page of comments, I forgot to hit reply when I first responded back)
Gayla says
I'm going to make these today. Sounds like the perfect snack for my kids.
Celina says
How would these taste without the butter? Seems like a lot of fat? Unfortunately I don't have coconut oil...applesauce??
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Celina. You are welcome to try with applesauce and share your results with us. :)
Heather says
Celina, if you use real grass fed butter you don't have to worry about the fat. It is actually good for you. It is fake products like margarine that are bad for you and processed sugar. Real butter has good fat that your body needs.
Carol says
These sound wonderful. I sat here and did the math because I am carefully watching calories. They work out to be about 180 per muffin. Very much worth it! I can't wait to make them!
SK Bell says
This sounds delicious and I can't wait to try a gluten free version!
Jacqueline says
Did you have any luck with a GF version? If so, could yo us hare it?
Jennifer says
I made two batches of these today. The first I used 1 loosely measured cup of shredded apples (skin on) and followed the recipe exactly as written. They were great, but we couldn't really taste the apple. For the second batch I used a packed cup's worth of shredded apples (skin still on), halved the amount of nutmeg as I'm not a fan of nutmeg at all and followed the rest of the recipe exactly as written. The second batch was amazing and I can't wait to make them again!
My son asked me about doing chunks of apples instead of shredded so the next batch will be 1/2 shredded and 1/2 small diced apple.
Thank you for sharing!
Temperence P says
This recipe was such a hit in my house! THANK YOU :) Very tasty. Keep up the good work!
martyfen says
Baked these this morning, my daughter and I like the mild taste however my son and husband wanted a more intense apple flavor. Any suggestions?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. Perhaps change up your variety of apple: http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/the-3-best-apples-to-use-for-baking. ~Amy
Sagami says
I made these in the morning, and they came out wonderful. I used chunky unsweetened apple sauce and replaced 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour with almond flour. Thank you for posting such an amazing recipe.
Karen says
I want to make these in mini-muffin pans. Would the baking time be the same?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Karen. No. While we haven't yet made these in mini form, I would start checking them around 12 minutes. ~Amy
Kristin says
Perfect timing! We just picked our second round of apples from the orchard and was planning to make some apple muffins to restock the freezer. You saved me from having to dig up last years recipe. Love the shredded apple, my oldest hates the mushy consistency of cooked fruit, so she picks around fruit chunks in muffins, thankfully shredded fruit blends right in. Oat substitution sounds yummy as well, for a nut-free classroom snack.
Grandma Kate says
These taste awesome. Even without the melted butter (yep, skipped right over that ingredient by mistake). I didn't shred the apple, I just used my apple corer/slicer and then sliced each slice into thirds and then chopped those, so I had tiny wedges of apple rather than shreds in my muffins. No doubt the texture of the muffin would be altered without the butter, but just in case you make the same mistake I did, no need to panic. I ate three this morning for my breakfast! The 9 year old knows what she's talking about!
Oppo Joy Phone says
Thats delicious, healthy and stunning muffin.
Shelly says
Yum! This looks delicious! I have an apple tree full of apples that are almost ready to pick. I've been looking for ideas on how to use them and I found this. Perfect timing! :-)
Korine says
Do you think frozen (well, thawed) shredded apple would work? I have tons of local apples from the CSA, and when I saw this recipe, I thought maybe I could shred and freeze lots of those apples in 1 cup servings and make these muffins in the middle of winter. I'm guessing it would be the same as making zucchini bread from frozen shredded zucchini, where you add the water that thaws too? Maybe I'll experiment before freezing them all... :) Just wondering if you had any experience.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Korine. Yes, frozen should work fine with the liquid that separated. ~Amy
Suzette says
Do you peel the apples first?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Suzette. I peeled first. ;)
Aly says
Dee-lish! This afternoon, my five-year-old asked if I could please put a "plain" muffin in his lunch because that's what the kid sitting next to him had. (The peer pressure starts in kindergarten!) I got your email about these this afternoon, baked them off tonight, and I will put one in his lunch for tomorrow. Perfect timing! I omitted the nuts, and I'm confident these will pass as a "plain" yet very healthy muffin! Thanks, Lisa!
Rachel says
Could you use a real chunky homemade apple sauce instead of the shredded apple?
Kirstie says
I was wondering the same thing!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Rachel. Yep, it should work!
Lauren says
Doubled the recipe, added some raisins, and baked it in a 9" square pan. (I can fit more in the freezer if I do pre-sliced rectangles rather than muffins...) Tastes amazing - thank you!
Caroline @ SweetFoodie says
Wow these look wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing these! I'm absolutely adding them to my "to make" list - I love finding new whole grain muffin recipes.
Katie says
Yum-- these look awesome, Lisa! I never think to shred apple- silly of me :) I'll probably add 1-2 TBL of ground flax and may play around with GF flour blend.
Lia says
These look so good. I will definitely be trying them soon.
Marti says
I'm gluten sensitive do you think you could sub a gluten free flour mix without changing anything else?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Marti. You can certainly give it whirl. I've made several of the muffin recipes with a gluten free blend and they have turned out well. ~Amy
Marti says
i substituted a multi purpose gluten free flour and they are wonderful. First gluten free bakery item my husband has liked. This receipe is a keeper.
Tishelle says
Can cocont flour be used instead?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. We've not tried but this might help: http://nourishedkitchen.com/baking-with-coconut-flour/. ~Amy
Heather says
They are in the oven right now. I used my Vitamix to shred the apple - super easy! And I didn't have walnuts so I used organic raisins instead. My house smells divine - can't wait to taste. My muffin tins must be a bit larger - I only got 8. I will need to double next time as my 3 over 6 feet tall teenage boys will swallow these up whole.
Lisa says
Heather can you tell me how you shredded them in the Vitamix? I don't have a shredding food processor either and with my Vitamix I don't know how to stop it from being mush. Do you just use small pieces and pulse it?
Thanks for your help!
Heather says
I cut the apples into big chunks and put them in the Vitamix at the lowest setting for about 10 seconds. That is all it took - not too mushy at all. Just right and I have now done this several times making your muffins. I just find that easier than shredding or grating them.
I have also done this with carrots for your carrot muffin recipe. I put in organic baby carrots for 10 seconds max. Perfect every time!
Claire says
Just out the oven! They look and smell great and taste great!
Aimee @ aim for healthy bites says
What a great fall muffin. Love the idea of adding rolled oats. I might try honey instead of the maple syrup.
Jessy says
My original plan was to make these for breakfast in the morning. I found myself in need of a quick dessert tonight and had all of the ingredients on hand. I ended up doubling the recipe, pouring it in a buttered 9x13 pan, baking for 40 min, and serving with some vanilla ice cream. It made a delicious apple cake. :)
Maria says
How could you change these to be Gluten Free?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Maria. You could try using a gluten free whole grain flour blend. I have done just that with many of the muffin recipes and most of them have turned out pretty well. No guarentees, however, as we've not converted recipes to be gluten free. ~Amy
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
Love these! What a great fall muffin. My kids are the same way with muffins. :)
Sandra says
I was wondering if you peeled the apples for this recipe or not.
By the way, I love the idea of swapping out the nuts for oatmeal (my son's classroom needs to be nut free) - that's what I will do when I make them!
Teri says
These look great. Do you think honey would substitute well for maple syrup? We live overseas and pure maple syrup is ridiculously expensive here.
Lisa says
Yes, that should work just fine and is a 1:1 substitute.
Diana says
What type of apple did you use? Do you think one type is better than another?
Lisa says
I used HoneyCrisp - our favorite!
Heather says
I just made them and skipped the walnuts and added rolled oats instead. They're great! Thanks.
Lisa says
Oh good idea for a walnut replacement! Glad you are enjoying them :)
Wendy says
Heather - how much rolled oats did you use?
Kristel says
Can't wait until my hubby gets home with the walnuts, these are on the breakfast menu for tomorrow with eggs and fruit! Love your muffin recipes, so far my families favorite are your Lemon Raspberry ones.
Lisa says
Enjoy! :)
Amanda says
Can honey be substituted for the maple syrup? I live overseas and cannot find maple syrup here and cannot import it because it's a liquid :/
Lisa says
Yes, that should work just fine! It's a 1:1 ratio.
Nikki says
These look great! Can the walnuts be omitted? We have nut allergies. Thanks!!!
Lisa says
Yes, that would be totally fine. Maybe you could try raisins or dried cranberries instead?