You won’t believe how delicious these Weight Watchers Maple Walnut Muffins are! They are filled with warm, comforting flavors and only 3 points per serving. I love these muffins because the crushed walnuts essentially take the place of streusel. It gives the muffins a perfect crunchy element, and the nutty flavor complements the maple muffins very well. The muffin itself is super soft, light, and moist.
I have a few tricks for keeping these muffins low in points. First, instead of using maple syrup, I used a baking extract made with natural maple, which is zero points. I also substituted real butter for a light butter substitute and some applesauce, and I used a zero-calorie sweetener instead of sugar. However, since I used a 1:1 replacement, you can always use regular sugar instead in the same amount if that’s what you prefer.
I know you’ll love these muffins as much as my family does! They didn’t last long around here. This is the type of WW sweet treat that is so delicious you can’t even tell it’s lightened up. The textures and flavors are so irresistible. You might even want to make a double batch and freeze half of them for later. They can be a quick snack or breakfast treat to heat up and take on the go with a smoothie on busy mornings.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- No special equipment is required. You don’t need to break out your KitchenAid for this recipe. You can easily make the muffin batter by hand in a matter of minutes.
- It’s a low-point morning pastry. Starting your day off right is important, and it’s great that you can have this low-point treat that won’t take up all your points at the beginning of the day.
- Great for making ahead and meal prep. You can make a batch of these muffins on a Sunday and eat them with your breakfast throughout the week, or freeze them for later use.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Number of Servings: 12
- Time to Cook: 16-20 minutes
- WW Points Per Recipe: 3 WW points per muffin, 31 for the entire recipe (Click here to view the recipe in the WW app. WW login is required)
Ingredients in WW Maple Walnut Muffins
- 1 ¾ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Table salt
- ½ cup Zero-calorie sweetener (use a 1:1 sugar replacement powder)
- ¾ cup Plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp Light butter substitute, melted (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Light)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Maple extract (made with real maple)
- ½ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup Crushed walnuts for topping
Instructions for making Maple Walnut Muffins
- Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg until smooth, then add the remaining wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients, minus the walnuts, and mix to form a batter. Stop mixing once the flour is worked in, being careful not to overmix.
- Divided the batter into a greased muffin pan (12 muffins) and then top each one with crushed walnuts. Gently press the nuts down so they don’t fall out when the muffins rise.
4. Bake the muffins for 16-20 minutes, until thoroughly baked, and they spring back up when you gently press them with your finger.
Variations and Substitutions
- Streusel Topping: If you have extra points to use up, you can make a streusel topping for the muffins to sprinkle on before baking them.
- Maple Extract vs Maple Syrup: I used maple extract made with real maple to keep the points low. However, if you would rather use pure maple syrup, you definitely can. I would start with a few tablespoons and also add 1-2 tbsp of flour. Test one of the muffins in the oven to see if the maple taste is strong enough or if you should add more before scooping the remaining muffins.
- Using Granulated Sugar: If you want to use real sugar, it will increase the muffins’ points to 5 points per serving.
- Milk Type: I use unsweetened almond milk because it is low in points, but you can use fat-free milk or any other type. The muffins will turn out great no matter which kind of milk you use. When using another kind, you can adjust the recipe in the Weight Watchers recipe builder.
Tips and Tricks for Making Maple Walnut Muffins
- These muffins rise well, so make sure to press down the walnuts so that they don’t fall off the muffins as they bake.
- Be careful not to overbake the muffins because it will make them dry! They only need to be baked until they are springy. Some zero-calorie sweeteners don’t get as much color as sugar, so they might be on the paler side, but their texture is what indicates when you can remove them from the heat.
- If you wish, you can mix the chopped nuts right into the batter instead of using them as a topping.
Related Recipes
Maple Walnut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Table salt
- ½ cup Zero-calorie sweetener, use a 1:1 sugar replacement powder
- ¾ cup Plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp Light butter substitute, melted (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Light)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Maple extract (made with real maple), Add 1 tsp more if you want a bolder maple taste.
- ½ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup Crushed walnuts for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg until smooth, then add the remaining wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients, minus the walnuts, and mix to form a batter. Stop mixing once the flour is worked in, being careful not to overmix.
- Divided the batter into a greased muffin pan (12 muffins) and then top each one with crushed walnuts. Gently press the nuts down so they don’t fall out when the muffins rise.
- Bake the muffins for 16-20 minutes, until thoroughly baked, and they spring back up when you gently press them with your finger.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
