Maraschino Cherry Muffins are the healthy snack you’re looking for a fun Valentine’s Day. I did want to bake up something pink to go along with the special day and these maraschino cherry muffins came out delicious. The maraschino cherries add a nice sweetness to them and with a little pink food coloring, they are perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Each cute pink muffin will only cost you 3 Weight Watchers points! They are also zero fat, so you can enjoy them guilt-free. They make great snacks for kids too, and you can feel good about what you’re feeding them. The maraschino cherries are delicious, sweet little bites of fruity goodness. By dicing them up beforehand, you ensure to get a bit of cherry in each bite.
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
They are made with simple ingredients.
All you really need is maraschino cherries and some pink food coloring. All the other ingredients you most likely have stocked in your kitchen. It doesn’t take much to whip up these pink goodies.
They are low in sugar.
Each muffin has 3 grams of sugar. Compared to a bakery muffin that can have up to 40 grams of sugar in just one muffin, these maraschino cherry muffins are a great alternative.
They are pink!
Anything colored is more fun, and these muffins are pink and festive. You could even make these for a themed birthday party, bridal shower, or fun ladies’ brunch.
Ingredients you need to make Maraschino Cherry Muffins:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¾ cup skim milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 19 maraschino cherries chopped into small pieces
- A few drops of pink food coloring
How to make Maraschino Cherry Muffins (step by step):
- Preheat the oven to 350F and fill a regular 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners. Parchment paper liners work well and will help prevent sticking.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs then stir in apple sauce, skim milk, and vanilla.
- Mix in the all purpose flour and baking powder. Fold in the pink food coloring. Depending on what brand you are using, just add a few drops while mixing the batter until you get a pink color.
- Cut the cherries into small pieces – you should get at least 6-8 little pieces.
- Gently fold the chopped cherries into the muffin batter, then divide the batter over the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until the muffins are baked through.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Makes 12 muffins. Nutrition info for 1 muffin: Calories 92, Fat 0 g, Saturated fat 0 g, Carbs 18 g, Fiber .8 g, Sugars 3.5 g, Sodium 93 mg, Protein 4 g.
WW Points
- Eggs 0 points
- Applesauce 0 points
- Skim milk 2 points
- Vanilla 0 points
- All purpose flour 26 points
- Baking powder 0 points
- Maraschino cherries 8 points
- Pink food coloring 0 points
3 points per muffin based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Smart points- green, blue & purple- 3 using WW recipe builder
Points plus- 3 using PP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- Make a fun pink drizzle with a tbsp of powdered sugar, a splash of water, and a drop or two of pink food coloring. Drizzle over the warm muffins.
- Adding ½ cup of Lily’s No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Chips will give it a little chocolate flare and make it a delicious treat.
- If you don’t have any food coloring, you can still make these without it. It won’t change the flavor.
- Use almond milk or soymilk to keep these muffins dairy-free.
- You can use fresh cherries if you’d like. It will make these muffins zero points.
Tips and Tricks for Making Maraschino Cherry Muffins:
- Freeze the maraschino cherries before you chop them. It makes it easier to slice through.
- Keep these in an airtight container at room temp for 3-5 days. If you think it’ll be longer than that, go ahead and freeze them in ziplock freezer bags. They’ll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- If you find that your cherries are falling to the bottom of the muffins, mix the cherries into the flour before mixing them into the batter. Coating them in the flour helps the cherries hold their place in the muffins.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
Maraschino Cherry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 3/4 cup milk *I used skim
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 19 maraschino cherries, chopped into small pieces *tip- freeze them a little for easy chopping
- Pink food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and fill a regular 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners. Parchment paper liners work well and will help prevent sticking.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs then stir in apple sauce, skim milk, and vanilla.
- Mix in the all purpose flour and baking powder. Fold in the pink food coloring. Depending on what brand you are using, just add a few drops while mixing the batter until you get a pink color.
- Cut the cherries into small pieces - you should get at least 6-8 little pieces.
- Gently fold the chopped cherries into the muffin batter, then divide the batter over the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until the muffins are baked through.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Points plus- 3 using PP calculator 3 points per muffin based on the WW app recipe creator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi. I am loving all of your recipes. I do however, have a question about these muffins; is there supposed to be sugar or sweetener in this recipe? Thanks so much.
Hi Carla, no just the syrup from the cherries which is pretty much sugar
Hi again. I followed the directions but my muffins actually baked to the paper liners. Not sure what happened but next time I will grease the muffins tins and eliminate the paper liners.
I’m sorry to hear that, yes you don’t have to use liners if you don’t want to
Is the flour in this recipe all purpose or self rising?
Love your food!
HI, it is all-purpose, I am so glad you enjoy the recipes 🙂
This looks so delicious!! I will be making them soon. I love following you & your recipes!!