Trader Joe's Carrot Ginger Oat Bran Muffins

Muffins are only a tiny, rare part of my diet. I bought these purely because I noticed them sitting in the store and found the name intriguing. Who puts ginger in oat bran muffins? Trader Joe's--that's who.

The ginger is noticeable from the get-to. It adds what I'd call a brightness to the otherwise fairly bland and dull background of oats and oat bran. The carrots, however, are more to be seen than tasted, and they're in the unattractive form of long, limp shavings. They could be left out with no loss, and perhaps some improvement.

Look closely at the label and notice what a scam TJ's is pulling with the nutrition information. Four muffins in a container, but a claimed eight servings. That's right--Trader Joe's is trying to get away with claiming that a serving size is half a muffin, which is akin to Frito-Lay claiming a serving size of one Lay's potato chip. When you mentally correct for that obviously deliberate bit of deception, you find that each muffin here packs 300 calories, 70 of which come from fat. I'm assuming that's the canola oil at work, since I see no other meaningful fat source among the ingredients.

Will I buy it again? 

Probably not. I liked them, but not so much that I'm suddenly going to become a regular muffin man. And those fat and calorie counts make me worry about turning muffins into a muffin top of my own.

Nina's View

Oh hells no.

Gummy. Nasty not-quite-cooked oatmeal texture. Heavy like lead.

To be completely fair, they were day-old (or more) by the time I sampled mine. But even if I extrapolate backward and subtract some sogginess and staleness, it still adds up to a big fat NOPE.

It does make me challenged to make some very yummy ginger-carrot-oatmeal muffins that don't suck. But I try to do as little baking as possible when it's 90ºF out.