Hodgson Mill is putting muffins back on the gluten-free menu

Product: Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix – $2.99+

Mmmmm…muffins!

Muffins are one of those easy, on-the-go, foods that you can just grab and take with you.  Either eat it at room temperature or warm it up in the microwave.  That’s the glorious thing about muffins…they travel well and are delicious.

As always, my good friend Jenn, was looking out for me one day while grocery shopping and picked up a box of Hodgson Mill Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix, which just happened to be gluten-free (she is always on the search for products for me because she rocks like that!).  We figured, the next time I came up to visit, we’d bake up a batch for breakfast and give them a try.

So…that’s exactly what we did.

These are so easy to make.  Preheat oven as instructed and line a muffin pan.  Then melt two tablespoons of butter.  Pour the mix into a bowl, add sugar and melted butter.  Then add milk and an egg.  Mix well and then spoon into the prepared pan.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops spring back when you touch them.

Easy enough.  I loved the chunkiness of the batter, in part due to the presence of apple slices.  We managed to get 8 muffins out of our mixture.  And as they baked, the kitchen smelled absolutely divine.  It made me want to go buy apple cider and hit up an apple orchard.  Honestly.  These smell SO amazing when you bake them up.  I took that as a good sign.

We took them out of the oven, surprised by how pale they still seemed (not the golden brown we imagined), but the tops sprung back so they were done.  We allowed them to cool for a few minutes before we each took two and settled in for a light breakfast.  Aside from the muffins sticking to the muffin liners, these muffins were absolutely delicious.  Fresh out of the oven, they are still warm and soft on the inside.  One little spread of butter and it all comes together.  The hint of cinnamon, the sweetness of the apples.  And since the mix is made with milled flax seed, these are also a healthy choice for either a breakfast or a snack.  Absolutely delicious.

Jenn sent my roommate and I home with the two that were left, which we ate as a snack on the road.  They were far more delicious fresh from the oven and warm, but what baked good isn’t?  I can’t wait to try to bake these up here and hopefully will have better luck with the muffin pan liners not sticking.

Taste is what I go for, and these had just the right levels of apple and cinnamon flavor.  Nothing overpowered the other.  It was perfectly balanced, making a perfectly delicious breakfast and snack that day.  The box also gives a recipe for using the mix to make pancakes, which just sounds heavenly, so I think I might need to give that a go.

This mix just happened to provide the first muffins I was able to eat since needing to go gluten-free.  What a fresh and great start indeed.  I now have a couple boxes of this mix in my own pantry, as well as a couple other Hodgson Mill gluten-free products because these were so good, I now trust the brand.  This allergic chef is looking forward to getting in that kitchen and baking up some more gluten-free goodness.

Thanks, Hodgson Mill!