Maple Muffins
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Sweetened entirely with maple syrup, these divine maple muffins fill your kitchen with the most intoxicating buttery-maple scent as they bake.
Whenever I visit my sister in NYC, we walk over to Sarabeth’s Bakery in Chelsea Market, the massive foodie mecca housed in the former Nabisco factory near her apartment. I’m not one for crowds — in fact, my sister teases me that I’m a hermit — but I’ll brave the throngs of hungry tourists for breakfast at Sarabeth’s because they have some of the best baked goods on the planet. These maple muffins are from Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hands to Yours. They are wonderful.
In the book, Sarabeth writes: “This recipe was literally forced upon me by a customer who said her family had made these muffins for more than a hundred years. She promised they would be fantastic, and she was right!” I love them because they are sweetened entirely with maple syrup — there’s absolutely no sugar in them. And as they bake in the oven, they fill your kitchen with the most intoxicating buttery maple scent.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Maple Muffins
While Grade A maple syrup works fine too, I prefer Grade B for the muffins was it has a more intense maple flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and baking powder. I always place the ingredients in the bowl so I can see them — this way, I don’t forget what I’ve already added, which unfortunately happens all too often!
Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter and maple syrup.
Whisk in the milk, followed by the eggs and egg yolk.
Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients.
Stir in the nuts, if using.
Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, while you grease the pan. Then fill the muffin cups with the batter.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake 15 minutes more. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and serve warm.
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Maple Muffins
Sweetened entirely with maple syrup, these divine maple muffins fill your kitchen with the most intoxicating buttery-maple scent as they bake.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup an leveled-off with a knife
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B (Grade A works fine too)
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted if desired (optional)
- Softened unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and melted butter. Whisk in the milk, followed by the egg and egg yolk. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth. Stir in the walnuts, if using. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grease the muffin pan generously with softened butter (see my note about the muffin pan below).
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan. The cups will be almost full. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until the muffins are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from the pan. Serve warm with butter, or place on a rack to cool.
- Note: My only quibble with this recipe is that the muffins tend to stick to the pan. I found that letting them cool for only 5 minutes (instead of the recommended 10) helped them release more easily. If they stick, take a butter knife or offset spatula and run it around the edges; and instead of pulling the muffins out of the pan, turn the pan over and knock it gently on the counter until the muffins drop out. Or, use paper liners and call it a day (but still butter the top of the pan!). I also found that the recipe is perfect for 12 muffin cups without the nuts; when you add the nuts, the muffins run into each other a bit, making them difficult to remove. So, if you're adding the nuts, you might want to bake the muffins in two pans, filling 6 cups in one pan and 7 in the other, for a total of 13 muffins.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Calories: 332
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Sugar: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Sodium: 206mg
- Cholesterol: 62mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Fantastic! Maple walnut heaven! I didn’t butter the tins, but used parchment liners instead (was giving most away).
Also, I live at 6,000 ft, and didn’t make any flour/water adjustments…but should I have?
Hi Patty, So glad they turned out well. I don’t know much about high-altitude baking but I’d say if they turned out well, no need to make any adjustments. 🙂
do you recommend adding any frozen berries or do you think it will not allow the muffins to rise?
Hi Aleaha, I’ve never tried adding berries to this muffin so I’d suggest using my blueberry or strawberry muffins recipes instead.
These muffins are quick and easy to make and perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or lunchbox treat since they’re not too sweet. I did not add nuts since we have a nut allergy in the house, but sometimes I’ll add course sugar to the top to change it up or I’ll whip up a cinnamon butter and add a pat to warm muffins. Lovely with a cup of tea!
Hello! I was wondering, can you switch out the all purpose flour for mochiko flour? I wasn’t sure if it would rise the same way. Thanks!
Hi Sara, I’m not familiar with mochiko flour (I just googled it and see that it’s rice flour). While I can’t say for sure it would be a problem, I’d suggest sticking with the all-purpose and whole wheat flours for the best results. Sorry!
If this is rice flour, I would say not. Rice flour makes no gluten which would affect how the muffin holds together.
These were Great! I did make a maple glaze with 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and a cup of confectionary sugar (melt butter and syrup together). It added another maple layer. Glaze does make a bit, so now I am making some sugar cookies, but that doesn’t seem like a hardship… : )
Hi Jenn,
I plan to make mini muffins (with raisins); what temp should I cook, and for how long? Recipe says to start at 400, then reduce to 375 after 10 min. I can’t figure out how to adapt this to mini muffins?
Thank you,
Debbie
Hi Debbie, I’d cook at 375°F for the whole time – I’d start checking around 12 to 15 minutes.
These Maple Muffins are awesome! As New Englanders transplanted to Ohio, real maple syrup remains a pantry staple. Can’t believe I’ve never had Maple muffins before. The recipe was easy and yummy and these will be showing up frequently on our breakfast table.
We have also tried the pumpkin cornbread muffins…a perfect fall recipe. I don’t know which one we liked best.
I followed the recipe exactly and it’s true, the fragrance that fills your kitchen is incredible, and they come out amazingly rich and tender. They’re delicious by themselves, with butter, or with jam, but try one toasted with peanut butter – I swooned!
I couldn’t wait to try these enjoyed fresh out of the oven. I used TJ’s organic dark amber Grade A maple syrup and it had a subtle maple flavor; the wheat flour really made this muffin special.
I was able to get 16 muffins with walnuts from this recipe.
The texture of these muffins is great: cake-like and fluffy with a perfectly crunchy top. They’re fairly sweet, with just a bit of maple flavor. (If you want an intense maple taste, I’d try adding a bit of maple flavoring.) They’re quick and easy to put together — no creaming or odd ingredients — and I baked 15 in paper liners with no spillover on to the pan top, which made removal perfectly easy!
These muffins tasted delicious (almost like a corn muffin mixed with pancakes) but unfortunately stuck to the pan, despite the fact that I greased the pan with a lot of softened butter. All of the tops came off the muffins when trying to remove them, even after taking into account the tips on the recipe about turning the pan over, etc. If I made them again, I would definitely use liners. Also, they didn’t taste quite as rich as I would expect with a tablespoon of butter and a lot of maple syrup in each muffin.
Oops, forgot the stars!
I just baked a double batch of these this evening. I used all white whole wheat flour (Trader Joe’s), increased the baking powder by a half, buttermilk, and three whole eggs for the double recipe. Also, I used dark amber grade A maple syrup, as that is what I had on hand. Yum! It reminded me of pancakes oozing with butter and maple syrup. I used foil liners and removed them from the muffin tins after only about 2 minutes. No sticking problems, and I did not grease the pan.
These were quite mapley, to be sure, but not convinced that I actually ‘liked’ the flavor. The kids didn’t care for them at all. I don’t think they discerned maple, so much as something a little ‘weird’ tasting, and I sort of agree. I wound up eating nearly the whole batch myself, so as not to waste them (over several days) and finally tossed a few. Not something I would make again.
Where can one find Grade B syrup? I live in the DC MD suburbs, too. Thanks,
Hi Maret, I get mine at Whole Foods. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Because of the expense of maple syrup, I’m wondering if brown sugar could be substituted for 1 C of it and just use 1/2 C of the syrup and then use maple flavoring to give it the maple flavor.
I’m wondering also if one might need to add some other kind of liquid or something to keep the muffins moist to offset the fact that you are not using 1.5 C of maple syrup.
Hi Diane, I think you can substitute brown sugar for 1 cup of the syrup and add maple flavoring without making any other adjustments. Hope that helps!
Can I use only all purpose flour as I do not have whole wheat flour? What would be the alternative quantity? Thanks!
Sure, Sheena – I’d use the same amount. Enjoy!
I used spray in the can and my muffins did not stick at all. They looked beautiful and smelled wonderful. I was however disappointed in the maple flavor very weak flavor and I used pure dark amber maple syrup.
Another winning recipe from Jenn. These muffins disappear quickly.
Wonderful.. definitely pure maple syrup I used more white flour than wheat flour switched out about an extra half cup still very healthy
I usually love your recipes but this one was too buttery.
I love the maple muffins. Your hints about
The muffins sticking are exactly the kind of instructions I needed.
Thank you, I use your blog all the time.
Janice
This is hands-down the best muffin I have prepared !!! In saying that I must admit this is the first muffin recipe of Jennifers I have prepared. This baked up so light and with such a beautiful crumb I was giddy!!! The preparation was simple and my house smelled of fresh baked pancakes. Needless to say there were no leftovers.
Hello, going to try these gluten free. I normally use some buckwheat flour when a recipe calls for wholemeal or wholewheat.
Will see how we go..!
Can someone advise how to adapt this for gluten free??
Hi. I made these gluten free by substituting Pamelas all purpose gluten free flour for the all purpose and Jovial whole wheat Einkorn flour for the whole wheat. They turned out amazing!! I’m sure you could use Buckwheat flour if you cant tolerate Einkorn flour.
I made these fantastic muffins this past Saturday. I followed the recipe exactly except I used 2 eggs…didn’t feel like bothering with separating the one egg. I included the toasted walnuts too. I got 16 muffins so guess even though I filled my metal cupcake liners to the top, the volume must have been smaller. That said, they baked up beautifully, and tasted even better. I didn’t have any trouble with sticking or not being able to get them out of my muffin cups. I was unable to find the Grade B syrup where I grocery shop, so used Grade A….these are delicious and worth the calories! They toast up well too. A keeper and repeater!
These looked great in the pictures and turned out well for so many, that I don’t know what I must have done. I used all ingredients as specified except the nuts, but they turned our floury and hard on the outside. I’m wondering if they would have turned out differently had I used an electric mixer, because I recall making other muffins by whisking, rather than using a mixer and the same thing happened. These look too great to not give them another try. All the other of Jenn’s recipes that I’ve tried were delicious, especially the maple sweet potatoes – excellent!
Hi June, sorry to hear the muffins didn’t turn out! It sounds like maybe there was a bit too much flour. Did you use the scoop and level off method for measuring it?
Thanks, Jenn. You may have the secret there. I’ll give the spoon and level off a try next time around.
Made these this weekend for an Easter brunch. They were a huge hit! I added pecans instead of walnuts…just because pecans always seem to go well with maple! Thanks for another winner, Jenn!
These were amazing! I followed the recipe and baked with silicon muffin cases in a cupcake pan. The muffins came out of the cases with no problems. Had with butter… so so good! Thank you for the great recipe.
Absolutely Love Love Love!!
This is going to be my new go to muffin recipe!! Great Maple Flavour with a touch rich butter. The batter had an absolute wonderful smooth texture.
I ended up using ‘all-purpose white flour’ as I had no whole wheat flour. I didn’t add walnuts… And it ended up making 16 muffins. But I did sprinkle on top cinnamon flavour pure maple sugar crunch sprinkles!
Note: Used Ontario No.1 Dark Amber Maple Syrup
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Xo
I just noticed the comment below … Note I used paper baking cups and as mentioned in the recipe I buttered the tray tops. I had no issues removing from tray!!!
Very disappointed in how these muffins came out. The texture was too heavy and the maple flavor was weak. I followed the recipe to a T. Surprised at all the great reviews.
I have to agree completely. They came out rather bread-like and with too subtle a taste. Like scones.
Delicious ….I Did have a hard time getting them out of the pan a few tops fell off and I did use a lot of butter therefore I would suggest cupcake wrappers.
These Maple Muffins were excellent! If you’re tired of the same blueberry, bran, corn muffins, give these a try. Disappeared from my house!
These muffins are terrific!! Not too sweet, light but perfectly crunchy on top. They are quite unique. I made them in black tulip papers and they were really gorgeous. A keeper for sure.
I have just baked these (with the walnuts), and I’ve got to admit – they are seriously delicious. 🙂 They’re very light, with a good texture and nicely crisp on top – perfect!
I was a bit hesitant about using the recipe conversion to metric, but needn’t have worried, it was perfect. Thank you so much for posting the recipe, I’m going to try your strawberry muffins next.
Do you think that these muffins would be good if you add raisins instead of nuts? I have not made them yet. .
Yes Ellyn, I think you could use raisins in place of the nuts here. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Jenn – Heading to grocery to pick up needed items for the maple muffins…but have a question. We are expecting company (who are visiting us in Florida for several weeks – good guests ?) Any chance I could bake the muffins today, cool, wrap well and freeze? Will be eaten in two weeks – trying to think ahead. Thank you, Michele
Definitely!
Amazing!! I was going to take a picture.. And then they were all gone. I live at 4580ft above sea level and would never put a Tbsp of baking powder in a muffin recipe. I put 1 tsp, and they were beautiful! Perfect shape, perfect color.. And perfect taste!! My family is already asking for more. Next time I plan to play with less butter and substituting apple sauce and coconut oil. I love the whole wheat flour taste and texture.. Very balanced. Thanks for featuring this on Instragram and for a new go-to recipe!
Am I the only one who is hesitant to make these because the maple syrup alone will cost $8-10 for 1.5 cups? I love the taste of maple and do use maple syrup in recipes. After all I live in one of the maple syrup states. But that doesn’t mean that it’s inexpensive up here. I treat it as precious! So I don’t normally use such a large amount in a recipe. Tell me these are the most incredible things you’ve put in your mouth, and I will splurge and give them a try.
Hi Nancie, They are delicious. But I suggest using Grade B maple syrup — it is usually less expensive and also richer in flavor.
They ARE THAT good! I agree, I was surprised at the amount of maple syrup, but I try very hard to refrain from using refined sugar. I buy my maple syrup at Costco, still expensive, but homemade muffins are a treat. These are amazing and you would spend much more buying gross ones at the grocery store!!
Dear Jenn –
Rating 3 star only due to issues I had w, the recipe. Used KA White Whole Wheat flour for the entire recipe, rather than mix w, AP. The muffins were pretty good but drier and heavier than expected. King Arthur states their White Whole wheat can be substituted 1-1 in any recipe calling for AP flour – Do you agree w, that?
Also not as maple flavored as expected – used Grade A since it was on hand. Any advice is most appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Kay, While King Arthur White Whole Wheat will give you better results than whole wheat, it’s still not the same as using all purpose — I think that’s why your muffins were heavy and dry. I typically use it as a substitute for whole wheat flour. And Grade B maple syrup will give you a more intense maple flavor.
Hi! Do you think that these would turn out as mini muffins? If so what do you recommend the baking time to be? Thanks so much can’t wait to try these
Hi Natalia, I think it’d work fine — I’d start checking around 12-15 min. Please let me know how they turn out!
Wonderful muffins. I did not have any whole wheat flour on hand so used 3 cups of all purpose and they turned out amazing. I added the nuts. I made a batch at 9 pm last night and this morning there were only 3 left and they were gone as soon as the boys were up! Will make these again on Saturday!
Just made these for my hubby’s birthday, following the recipe exactly. They are fabulous! The taste of maple is warm, slightly sweet and such a nice change from the usual muffin flavorings. I had milk with mine but will definitely have another with coffee tomorrow morning-can’t wait for that!
Hi Jenn, could I sub whole wheat flour with spelt flour? Do I use the same amount?
Hi Serena, Yes, I think you could use spelt flour here and the amount should be the same. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, are these muffins supposed to be not as sweet as the usual muffins? I baked them today and they got a hint of sweetness only, but the smell wonderful and the texture is amazing! Light and fluffy! For someone that wants it sweeter, what would you recommend?
Hi Serena, They are quite sweet — are you sure you measured properly?
Hi Jenn, I only had lite maple syrup could that be the reason?
Yes I’m sure that’s it, Serena. Next time, try pure maple syrup and please lmk how they turn out.
I just tried them again using pure maple syrup, they are absolutely delicious, gone so fast! I was having a hard time stopping eating when it was fresh out of the oven!
Jenn, can I substitute white whole wheat flour for all or some of the flours in this recipe? I like to maximize nutrition. Thank you!
Hi Eileen, I think you can definitely substitute it for the whole wheat flour. I’d go easy on the all-purpose though, or the muffins might turn out a little dense. Maybe half?
Excellent muffins. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular whole wheat, since that’s what I had on hand. And I baked them in a large 6-muffin pan with liners. They came out gorgeous — best rise I’ve ever gotten. Spread with some Kerry Gold butter, to die for.
Great recipe, I loved the outcome. Maple syrup flavour is not overpowering, a great balance. Would definitely recommend adding chopped walnuts. Instead of mixing into the recipe I sprinkled a layer on top of them pre-bake and added a nice dimension.
Love that idea, Yanina. Glad you enjoyed them.
These muffins turned out perfect. Thank you!
I live at 7000 feet, so some adjustments: Used whole wheat pastry flour(King Arthur) instead whole wheat. Used 2 whole eggs, used 1 stick butter and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, used 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and turn down to 400 when you put muffins in. Then proceed per recipe. Used Joy of Baking spray NO STICKING!
Hi Jenn
Thanks for your amazing recipes. Today I tried Kale with Maple Syrup and it was a hit. I am planning to make Maple Muffins for my daughter’s birthday which is in Feb , but instead of muffins , planning to make it as a cake . Wanted your advice on that. Would it be OK ?
You’re welcome, Madhuri — glad you are enjoying the recipes! I think you could bake this batter in a loaf or cake pan, but the “cake” wouldn’t have a light and fluffy cake-like texture. These muffins are quite hearty and substantial — so the result would be more like a quick bread than a cake.
Thanks Jenn , I just thought if the Muffins are good ,the cake would also turn out good but guess I am wrong. Would you recommend not baking it as a cake ? Or do you suggest any modification to the recipe that might make this recipe good for a cake too.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to modify it for a cake — I have some wonderful cake recipes though. Happy to recommend one if you have something in mind. Lmk 🙂
HI Jenn
Thanks for the offer , my daughter initially asked for a Treche Leche Cake but I was skeptical about trying it as I don’t have a Stand Mixture. Please suggest a cake that would be awesome , any cake would be OK.
Thanks
Madhuri,
Try the sticky toffee banana cake — kids and adults both love it and you don’t need a stand mixer.
Would it be okay to use all white flour instead of partial whole wheat? Thanks
Yes, I think it’d work fine. Enjoy!
Does the nutritional information include nuts, or is it without nuts? Thanks!
Alexandra, The nutritional info does not include the nuts. (Optional ingredients are generally not included in the nutritional info.) Hope you enjoy them!