My family loves muffins, and we have tried most of the store mixes such as Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, Krusteaz and Jiffy. Last week I noticed a new product on my grocers shelf, and although it was more expensive than the other brands, it sounded very healthy and good, so I picked it up. That product was made by Sunmaid, and it is their Honey Raisin Bran Muffin Mix.
The box is 18.25 ounces, and it contains two bags; one of the muffin mixture, and one is a pouch containing Sunmaid baking raisins with extra moistness. The directions are simple – mix the dry ingredients with 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 egg, and pour into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes and you have some delicious muffins. They make the house smell great while they are baking, smelling almost like a spice cake.
Alternative recipes
The side of the box gives some variations in how to use this muffin mix. You can make Raisin Nut Muffins, Pineapple Raisin Muffins, Honey Carrot Raisin Muffins, or Applesauce Raisin Muffins. Since I am a big fan of pineapple, I substituted the 1 1/2 cups of water for 1 1/2 cups of crushed pineapple. They came out absolutely delicious! I didn’t think my daycare children would want to eat bran muffins for their snack, but they gobbled them up and asked for seconds. Likewise, my husband raved about them.
Are They Healthy?
Each muffin carries 220 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 310 mg of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.
Thoughts
I will definitely be purchasing this Sunmaid muffin mix again. Sunmaid has been providing us with great quality raisins since 1912. The baking pouch contains plumped up raisins with added moisture, and it really makes a difference in how the muffins taste. I am not usually a fan of raisins in cooked foods, but these really taste great. The raisins are extra juicy and help make the muffins very moist and flavorfull.
Having enough fiber in our diets is very important, and Sunmaid uses premium quality bran to make these both filling and healthy. Adding the pineapple really added a nice touch to the mix, and I can’t wait to buy a few more boxes and try the recipe using both the applesauce and carrot suggestions.
Sunmaid Honey Raisin Bran Muffin Mix was about $1.50 more than the Betty Crocker muffin mix, retailing for around $4.00. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the extra money, but I am glad I did. The box states that these make 9 standard muffins, or 5 jumbo sized muffins. I used the standard size muffin tins, and filled the batter up to the top, and I had so much batter left that I was able to make 6 more! I only get 12 muffins out of the Betty Crocker mixes, so I was pleased that although I paid a little more for this Sunmaid product, it made 18 muffins instead of the usual 12. That makes it a pretty good value.
This is a truly unique product, and it tastes much better than any of my homemade bran muffins, or for that matter any prepackaged bran muffins from my grocers bakery department. I give them two thumbs up.
