Mixed Review: Fiber One Premium Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
"I realized that they really weren't kidding about the fiber."
Growing up, I was one of those lucky kids who got to have any breakfast cereal they wanted: Fruit Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Apple Jacks. Nothing was off-limits. So you'd think that, after years of consuming massive amounts of sugar first thing in the morning, I'd still have a serious AM sweet tooth.
But in fact, just the opposite happened—these days I crave plain Cheerios, Weetabix, and, more than anything, Fiber One.
Recently, Betty Crocker, which is owned by parent company General Mills, debuted a new line of Fiber One products including toaster pastries, granola bars, shredded wheat, and baking mixes for pancakes and muffins. It’s all part of their ingenious “Cardboard, no. Delicious, yes.” campaign. I decided to test out the Apple Cinnamon Premium Muffin Mix ($3.99). According to the box, each serving is packed with 20 percent of my daily fiber needs and had only 160 calories and 6 grams of fat. It sounded like a pretty good breakfast to me.
I realized that they really weren't kidding about the fiber. Once out of the box and into the bowl, there were literally pieces of cereal in the mix. There were also dehydrated apples, and a lot of fragrant cinnamon. All I needed to add was 3/4 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 2 eggs. The prepared batter was very thick and lumpy, but that was to be expected. It was, after all, flecked with whole bits of cereal.
After twenty minutes in the oven, my muffins had risen adequately, if not enormously. They had nice, golden tops and between the cracks I could see moist chunks of apple. Oh, and they smelled pretty damn good, too.
The Fiber One muffins had all the familiar density and heft of bran muffins, without the sawdust flavor. Instead they tasted fresh and fruity, with lots of cinnamon and hints of brown sugar. As an added bonus they stayed fresh for three days, making them perfect for busy mornings and take-to-work breakfasts. Paired with a carton of low-fat yogurt and a skim latte, you’d definitely have a healthful meal worth getting out of bed to enjoy.
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14 Comments:
unfortunately, i didn't like the banana-nut variety as much. it had a strange and fake banana flavor.
_greenbean at 3:55PM on 02/27/09
I tried one of their cereals and it tasted like cardboard to me =( I gave up, but maybe I'll try their other products.
inothernews at 4:41PM on 02/27/09
These are great - I made mini-muffins. Wait 'til you try the Fiber One Oat's & Chocolate granola bars. I eat one every day and it is seriously one of the high points of my day.
lo82070 at 5:24PM on 02/27/09
I really love their raisin bran. I will have to give the muffins a try at some point.
Amandarama at 5:47PM on 02/27/09
@lo82070...my son calls the Fiber One granola bars "fart bars", but they sure are tasty :)
kalajo at 5:51PM on 02/27/09
Mmm, those look delicious.
The chocolate chip granola bars can be pretty intense... I bought a huge box of them at Sam's Club and didn't figure out the cause of my stomach cramps and bloating until the box was empty. I don't think I can buy them ever again, which is unfortunate, because they are soooo delicious.
pearl at 6:46PM on 02/27/09
I bought the apple-cinnamon muffins mix at Costco and am now stuck with two packs that I do not want--didn't care for them at all.
pielady at 2:23AM on 02/28/09
I take the Oats and Caramel bars to work as a snack. SO amazing. They're more butterscotch than caramel, but oh well. I've never had any stomach problems, but I think I may just be used to the fiber.
Also, Fiber One caramel delights cereal is really good, and doesn't taste like it's full of fiber. Like a caramely, more adult version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. :)
amanda0730 at 2:47AM on 02/28/09
i must give these a try. the fiber one "poop" tarts have made themselves my breakfast standby as of late.
aspirez at 4:31AM on 02/28/09
@pearl: I noticed the uncomfortable effects are even worse with off-brand Fiber One-like bars, for example the Target ones. It took me a while to make the connection between those bars and the stomach cramps that came later, too.
July at 8:29AM on 02/28/09
just so you know, anything by fiber one other than the Original Cereal, Muffin Mixes, and Pancake Mixes have high fructose corn syrup in them, so even though you get much of your daily fiber needs, the HFCS kills it.
riverxhawkxlove at 4:44PM on 03/01/09
Thanks for the review. I might want to try these muffins sometime. I eat the regular, healthy Fiber One cereal for breakfast most mornings, but, as has been said here, it's kind of hard to take by itself. I mix it with Cheerios or another tasty cereal, add fruit and have a very healthy start to the day.
Perkins10 at 12:07AM on 03/02/09
I bought a box of the caramel granola bars. They were DELICIOUS, but killed my stomach a few hours later. I guess 9 grams of fiber is way too much for me. The last bar from the box is sitting there waiting for me to have a free day with no plans . . . it may be a while! :(
cornellfoodie at 3:28AM on 03/06/09
Just made the Fiber One Apples and Cinnamon Muffin mix--after I mixed it(before cooking) I tasted the mix and it was sure tasted like sawdust--I added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the mix and then I quikly made a crunchy strusel topping(added some fat)
combined 2.5 tablespoons of soft butter, sprinkle of cinnamon, 2 T of Brown Sugar, sprinkle of salt, 1/2 cup of flour--till crumbly--then after cooking I drizzled a glaze of powder sugar and wam water over the top--Can I just say these were great--my 9 year old loved them-he could use all the fiber he can get--since he is a very picky eater. Will make again for sure!!
Sheila at 10:15AM on 05/16/09