Flavors of Fall (Recipe: Maple Walnut Muffins)

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy, autumn afternoon is go antiquing. There’s something about discovering nearby towns, quaint shops, and enjoying the fall leaves that relaxes me.

During a recent antiquing trip, I stumbled upon a small but bountiful used bookstore, with a cookbook section tucked away in the back. Quickly thumbing through a hundred or so titles, I decide upon six, new-to-me cookbooks, two of which I had never before heard.

That evening, after returning home, I discovered one of my purchases, Addison County’s Finest Vermont Recipes, was full of B&B recipes. To commemorate my lucky find, I decided it appropriate to feature a recipe chock full of fall flavor. These Maple Walnut Muffins from By The Way B&B in East Middlebury, Vermont, filled the bill.

Producing hearty muffins with mild maple flavor and the subtle crunch of walnuts, this recipe is sure to bring a gentle taste of autumn to the breakfast table. Served alongside scrambled eggs, bacon, juice and coffee, these muffins will round out your morning meal and leave your tummy contented until lunchtime. Enjoy!

Maple Walnut Muffins

(featured on Inn Cuisine, adapted from Addison County’s Finest Vermont Recipes & credited to By The Way B&B, East Middlebury Vermont)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in walnuts. In another bowl, beat eggs, maple syrup and milk until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the maple syrup mixture and melted butter. Stir gently until just combine (batter will be lumpy).

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake the muffins until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean, approximately 18 minutes depending on the accuracy of your oven. When muffins are done, turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 12 muffins

Cook’s Notes: While I followed this recipe as-is, the next time I bake them I will consider upping the maple flavor: either by increasing the maple syrup to 2/3 cup, and perhaps reduing the milk to 1/3 cup (if necessary, to maintain proper consistency), OR, I will leave the ingredient amounts as-listed, and add a teaspoon of maple flavoring instead. Also, I would definitely substitute buttermilk for the milk called for, as well as up the amount of liquid &/or fats just a bit to add extra moistness to these muffins—they were a bit dense for my tastes.

Lastly, because I like my muffins tall and hefty, I filled each muffin cup approximately 3/4 full, yielding only 9 muffins instead of the 12 the recipe calls for.

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Tagged as: bed and breakfast recipes, maple walnut muffin recipe, muffin recipes, muffin recipes from By The Way B&B Vermont