Published · Last updated · By Martha McKinnon · 6 Comments
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WW Recipe of the Day: Light & Healthy Apple Pecan Muffins
These apple pecan muffins from Ellie Krieger are a winner. With a 5 star rating on the The Food Network how could they miss? Moist and delicious, you'd never guess they were healthy.
I first made them years ago when I came across the recipe in Ellie's first cookbook, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life (affiliate link).
Apple Pecan Muffin Recipe Notes
This apple pecan muffin recipe is full of chunks of apple and topped with a delicious crunchy mixture of pecans, cinnamon and sugar.
The only change I made was adding ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the muffin batter. And I used a Granny Smith apple instead of yellow delicious, since it's what I had in the fridge.
Feel free to substitute walnuts for the pecans if you like.
It's a delightful way to begin your day, with a cup of Greek yogurt or hard boiled egg.
How Many Calories & WW Points in these Healthy Muffins?
According to my calculations each muffin has just 213 calories and:
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
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Apple Pecan Muffins Recipe
This lighter healthier apple pecan muffin recipe, slightly adapted from Ellie Krieger, is light, tender and delicious.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Servings (adjustable): 12
Calories: 213
Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living
Ingredients
Topping Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (walnuts would work too)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Muffins Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 apple peeled, cored, and chopped
Instructions
Position an oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl (affiliate link) mix together topping ingredients and set aside.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and buttermilk in a large bowl until well combined. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid mixture just until combined. Gently stir in apple chunks.
Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups. (I like to use an OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop ) Sprinkle with nut mixture.
Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 15-20 minutes.
Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes and remove them to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoy while still warm.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 apple pecan/walnut muffin
Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition Facts
Apple Pecan Muffins Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
Calories 213Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Protein 4g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple breakfast muffins, healthy brunch muffins, muffins with apple and pecan
Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!
Source: slightly adapted from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life (affiliate link) by Ellie Krieger.
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Light Healthy Muffins for Weight Watchers
- Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Low Fat Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- One Bowl Coconut Muffins
- Making Healthy Muffins from Scratch
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
More about Martha McKinnon
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Doris
These muffins look delicious...have you ever made them as a bread ( in a loaf pan ) ??? If so for how long did you bake it ??? any suggestions /tips /ideas appreciated ...
Reply
Martha McKinnon
Hi Doris,
I've never made this particular recipe as a bread in a loaf pan. But in my experience most muffin and quick bread recipes are interchangeable. So, I think it would work fine. I'd bake it at 350 and think it should take between 45 and 60 minutes to bake. Hope this helps.
Reply
Donna
Is there a difference between whole wheat pastry flour and whole bread flour? I have found the bread flour but not pastry.
Thank you for your response.Reply
Martha McKinnon
I donna, yes, they are different. Whole wheat pastry flour is softer so it works better in quick breads, cakes, muffins, etc. A good alternative to whole wheat pastry flour is white wheat flour if you can find it. Hope this helps!
Reply
Karen
can you just use all flour if you cant find wheat pastery flour?
Reply
Martha McKinnon
Hi Karen, Yes, it's fine to use regular AP flour! - Martha
Reply
