Muffin Mix

We tried Namaste Muffin Mix after the brand had been recommended to us by a fellow shopper at the grocery store. We've tried many of their other products and feel they've all performed reliably with good flavor and texture. The muffins were of particular interest to me, as I have 4-year old twins wh... More

We tried Namaste Muffin Mix after the brand had been recommended to us by a fellow shopper at the grocery store. We've tried many of their other products and feel they've all performed reliably with good flavor and texture. The muffins were of particular interest to me, as I have 4-year old twins who must now be on a gluten-free diet. I am an avid baker, so prior to the change in diet, we had been making our muffins from scratch. When we had to go gluten free, I was a little overwhelmed by the many ingredients and the combinations of those ingredients needed to achieve "wheat-like" results. After trying one bag of this mix, my children were raving about the muffins and so happy that they could enjoy one of their favorite snacks again. Like other reviewers, I would suggest trying add-ins to really create the muffin flavor/texture you're after. I basically think of the Namaste mix as a great, convenient muffin base. We regularly add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of milled flax (to add some fiber, which most GF mixes seem to be lacking), 1 or 2 ripe, mashed bananas (this sweetens it up), 1-2 tsp. of vanilla, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and a handful of mini chocolate chips. We've also made cranberry muffins using dried organic cranberries and 3 Tbs. chia seeds, and ginger muffins, adding dried, crystallized ginger and just a little ground ginger (amount is a matter of preference). A few times, when we were out of banana, we tried adding pumpkin puree in it's place, but each time had muffins that were a little "soggy" (clearly a result of adding too much puree). I would urge folks to tinker with flavors and add-ins, but do it slowly, so that you know how much of any particular ingredient the mix will tolerate. I've found that the ingredients used in GF baking have a narrower tolerance for experimentation. I would also add that these muffins (and it seems GF products in general) don't have the same shelf life as their wheat counterparts. I would recommend refrigerating or freezing unused portions, and then thawing/reheating (in toaster oven works fine) as you go. Another thing is that we now regularly use paper liners, which we never did before going gluten-free. I would strongly recommend using them, at least the first couple times you bake (or maybe it's just all the "tinkering" we do). Perhaps the best endorsement for this product is the disappearance of an entire plate of muffins at a recent school picnic. I'd given another mom a bag of this mix, as she was aware of our GF diet and wanted to make something for the picnic that my kids could eat, but just didn't know how to go about it. I gave her a bag, and literally said, "You can't go wrong!" She brought them to our gathering and by the time I went to grab a muffin for myself, they were ALL GONE (eaten and enjoyed by all). The last thing I want to mention is that Namaste mixes seem to have some of the lowest sodium levels of GF mixes currently offered on the market. Read your labels, because many of the GF mixes out there have ENORMOUS amounts of home! Less

- "Mama of Twins", Amazon.com review