One of my favourite muffins! Flavoured and sweetened with maple syrup and studded with chopped walnuts and dates, this muffin is a solid choice at any time of day.
I love a great date nut bread, so it’s no surprise I love those same great flavours in muffin form. These muffins use maple syrup for flavour and sweetness, in addition to plenty of chopped walnuts and dates. They are a perfect morning or afternoon tea muffin.
Love maple walnut? Try my maple walnut blondies or maple walnut squares next!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Maple syrup – Real maple syrup is perfect, and a dark (Amber, Grade B) maple syrup will bring more maple syrup flavour to the plate.
Dates – You can use any dates you have on hand. I find the classic supermarket block of dates works well, or grab a bag of pitted whole dates. You can certainly use Medjool dates as well, if you like.
Walnuts – Walnuts work well in these muffins in combination with the maple flavour, but pecans can easily be substituted.
How to make maple walnut date muffins: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make these muffins. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the dates and stir in to coat with flour.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Stir together just until combined. Don’t over-mix.
Step 5: Add the chopped walnuts and stir in.
Step 6: Spoon the batter into 9-12 muffin cups, bake and enjoy!
Muffin recipe tips!
- Be sure to measure the flour with the spoon-and-level method (or better yet, use a kitchen scale to weigh it out!) to avoid adding too much flour to the batter and creating dense, dry muffins.
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter or the muffins will be tough. Mix the batter just until there is no visible flour.
- Don’t overbake the muffins, or they may turn out dry. Watch and test regularly near the end of baking.
Storing and freezing
Once cooled, store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Maple Walnut Date Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup, Grade B (dark, amber) recommended
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, reduce to a generous pinch if using salted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (240 ml) dates, pitted and chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- With the oven rack in the centre of the oven, preheat the oven to 375F (regular bake setting – adjust as needed for convection/fan-assisted baking).
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. (I make 9 larger muffins from the batter, though you can make them small and make 12 muffins if you prefer. Fill any unused muffin cups with water, filling them 1/2 full.) Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled slightly), 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (Grade B (dark, amber) recommended), 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt (reduce to a generous pinch if using salted butter) and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the 1 cup dates (pitted and chopped) and stir in to coat the dates evenly with flour. Set aside.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together just until combined. Do not over-mix. Add the 3/4 cup chopped walnuts and stir in briefly to combine.
- Spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, overfilling the muffin cups slightly for 9 larger muffins or filling about 2/3 full for 12 smaller muffins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes (less time for smaller muffins), or until the muffins test clean when tested with a toothpick.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift out and remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, for longer storage.
Notes
More muffin recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
