I am always impressed when my wheat-loving household doesn't even notice when a product is gluten-free. That said, Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix seriously impressed me.

I decided to start with the Sweet Old Fashioned Cornbread recipe (see the recipes that follow for my dairy-free variations) based on Sarah's recommendation, and I also made them in muffin form. I made two batches, "Buttermilk" Cornbread Muffins and Strawberry-Vanilla Cornbread Muffins.

Delcious! Both my husband and I loved them ... in fact, an entire batch didn't last more than two days in our house. They were very cohesive, and had a nice texture with bits of corn grits throughout for an "authentic" taste. Overall, it was the perfect muffin consistency, as you can see ...

As my husband reached for what I believe was his fourth muffin that day (I lost count), I finally told him they were gluten-free. At that point, he just looked at me, shrugged with a "so what" attitude, and happily enjoyed his muffin.

Since we aren't into super-sweet mixes, I was a bit worried about going with the Sweet Cornbread recipe, but I was glad I did. They were pleasantly sweet, but still not sweet like you would think of a muffin. They went perfectly with our savory chili dinner, but turned right around and served as an after-dinner treat topped with jam (for my husband) and honey (for me). I can definitely see the versatility in this mix.

As mentioned, I made some adaptations; including using oil instead of butter and honey instead of white sugar. Below are the two recipes I followed ...

Pamela's Dairy-Free "Buttermilk" Cornbread Muffins

• 1 Cup Unsweetened Milk Alternative (I used rice milk, but almond or soy will also work well)
• 2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 bag Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix
• 2 Medium Eggs (can use large if that is what you have on hand)
• 5 Tablespoons (scant 1/3 cup) Honey (1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
• 5 Tablespoons (scant 1/3 cup) Grapeseed Oil or Other Neutral Tasting Oil

Preheat oven to 375º. Combine the milk alternative and vinegar, and set aside briefly.

In bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Stir in the milk alternative mixture, and pour the batter into 12 lightly greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yields 12 muffins

Pamela's Dairy-Free Strawberry-Vanilla Cornbread Muffins

Feel free to substitute blueberries or other sweet fruit in place of the strawberries. If using frozen fruit, do not defrost before adding it to the batter.

• 1 bag Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix
• 1 Cup Vanilla Milk Alternative, Regular or Unsweetened (I used almond milk)
• 2 Medium Eggs (can use large if that is what you have on hand)
• 6 Tablespoons Honey
• 1/4 Cup Grapeseed Oil or Other Neutral Tasting Oil
• 1 Cup Chopped Strawberries

Preheat oven to 375º.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except for the strawberries. Gently stir in the strawberries, and pour the batter into 12 lightly greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yields 12 muffins

* The mix itself is vegan, however, we didn't test it without eggs. Though you can use sugar or agave rather than honey, I am not sure how the performance of the mix would be effected with an egg substitute.

This is a third party review by Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide & Cookbook. For more information on this product, see the Pamela's Products website. Most of Pamela's Products, including this Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix, are available on Amazon.

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