Bluberry Muffin Mix

Test date: June 2010

Testers: Michele and husband Marc

All products for this test purchased at Fred Meyer (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods do not carry bluberry muffin mix at this time).

Note: All products were made according to package directions.

MICHELE'S OPINION:  I'm pretty shocked about the taste winner, Fiber One. I thought for sure that it would be too healthy tasting. For those of you that like sweet sweet treats, then you'll probably prefer the Krusteaz product. But for something decadent but not too sweet, and very flavorful, go for the Fiber One. All told though, the difference between all four of these products is not that dramatic. Probably if I were not tasting them side by side, it would be very hard to choose which one was best. So just going with the cheapest one that you find at your grocery store wouldn't be a terrible idea in this case.....except for the Duncan Hines product. That one was just too yeasty for me. Read on for more details on price, nutrition, and taste:

PRICE COMPARISON FOR ONE BOX OF MIX:
$3.67 Betty Crocker Fiber One
$3.28 Duncan Hines
$2.95 Betty Crocker Wild Blueberry
$2.50 Krusteaz

1. Betty Crocker Wild Blueberry Premium Muffin Mix: These muffins are light and fluffy and sweet, but not a lot of taste compared to the others.

2. Betty Crocker Fiber One Blueberry Premium Muffin Mix: This is the only mix that does not have a separate tin of blueberries in their own juices. It has dehydrated berries right in the muffin mix. This muffin is also very light and fluffy, with a sharp blueberry flavor when you get a berry. This has a more honey sweetness than of sugar and more flavor than the regular Betty Crocker version.

3. Duncan Hines Blueberry Streusel Premium Muffin Mix:  A medium density muffin (the densest of the bunch, but not that dense), it is not too sweet but the streusel adds some extra sweetness when you get a bite of the top. The flavor of the actual muffin mix is a bit more yeasty than the others.

4. Krusteaz Wild Blueberry Supreme Muffin Mix, $2.50 for 16.5oz (Per Krusteaz website, this product is also available at QFC, Albertsons, and Safeway): This is a cakey muffin and is the sweetest of the bunch. It has a light to medium density. The consistency of this muffin reminds me the most of what you would get at a bakery.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: The serving sizes on these products range from 36g to 44g. Per serving, the two Betty Crocker products have the least calories at 120 and 130, while the other two are are slightly higher at 160. The Betty Crocker Wild Blueberry mix also has the lowest fat content, at 1.5g per serving, while Krusteaz packs the highest fat punch with 4g per serving. Sodium content does not vary widely between these products, averaging 245mg per serving. An interesting point to note is that the first ingredient in three of these four products is enriched wheat flour, while the first ingredient in the Betty Crocker Fiber One product is sugar! However, the Fiber One product also has the most fiber, with 5g per serving, while the other three have between 1g and 3g.

TASTE WINNER: Betty Crocker Fiber One

Cornbread

Test date: June 2010

Testers: Michele and her husband Marc

Products for this test purchased at Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

Note: All products made according to package directions.

MICHELE'S OPINION: Full disclosure here that I've been a big fan of Jiffy for years, and I had Jiffy's as the winner for a few days. But I just kept thinking about the Trader Joe's bread! So I guess that means that it is the real winner. It was pretty sweet, but not too much so. It was just delicious. But, it is also considerably more expensive than the other three. So if you want to stick to your budget, you can't go wrong with Jiffy, which has a great price and good taste. Both the Arrowhead and Red Mill were really terrible, to be honest with you. Stay away from those two. Read on for more details on price, nutrition, and taste:

PRICE COMPARISON FOR 15OZ OF MIX (store first, then brand):
$2.69 Trader Joe's brand
$2.18 Whole Foods Bob's
$1.31 Whole Foods Arrowhead Mills
$0.86 Fred Meyer Jiffy

1. Arrowhead Mills Corn Bread & Muffin Mix: This mix was very watery, the wateriest of the group. They came out slightly undercooked and have a drab color and grainy texture. This cornbread is mealy and grainy, too dense, and a bit rubbery.

2. Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix: Jiffy has a golden yellow color. Light and fluffy consistency, mildly sweet, but a little bit of a gritty texture too.

3. Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornbread Mix: This formed a nice muffin shape but also has a drab color and grainy looking texture. This is a super moist muffin, it almost tastes under cooked. The taste is of stone ground wheat. It is not cornlike and not sweet. It leaves a raw wheat flavor on your tongue. Marc actually spit this one out after taking a bite......

4. Trader Joe's Cornbread Mix: This mix does not give directions if you want to make muffins, like the other three options do. The bread comes out with a nice yellow color and a very crisp crust. This is the sweetest bread of the bunch, with a nice fluffy inside and dark crust. It is slightly less gritty than Jiffy. The funny thing about this mix is that it was the only one with actual corn pieces in it, but now that its cooked we can barely find them in the bread.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: These mixes all have between 120 and 150 calories per serving (about 35g). Trader Joe's has by far the lowest sodium content with 178mg per 35g serving, while the other pack between 290mg and 340mg of sodium per serving. The fat content is also surprising, with three of the four products carrying 0-1g of fat per serving while Jiffy's has 4.5g! But that is before you add all of the other ingredients like eggs, oil, and milk. When everything is prepared, Trader Joe's is the most fattening product.

TASTE WINNER: Trader Joe's