Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (the bestest!)

[fitfool]

These caught my eye since the reviewers of this recipe couldn't stop raving about how these were heavenly perfection. Over a hundred reviews of this recipe! So I had to try them and...yes, these are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I've ever had. Moist, chewy, and full of flavor. Made this recipe (http://www.recipezaar.com/35813)(link includes approximate nutritional info) and following suggestions in the reviews, I added 1 tsp cinnamon and decreased oats to 2.5 cups.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
recipe by Bev
“You've made oatmeal-raisin cookies before, so why try these? Because they're moist, chewy, and loaded with raisins...and they're better than any you've tried before! From Cuisine Magazine.”
36 cookies
26 minutes 15 mins prep (she works much faster than I do. Took me 2 hrs total)

Whisk together and set aside
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream Wet Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Then Stir in
3 cups oats (not instant)
1.5 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
   
2. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
   
3. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
   
4. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
   
5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
   
   
   
   
6. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
   
7. Fill cookie scoop with dough.
   
8. (Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough.) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.
   
9. Drop 2" apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
   
   
   
   
10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
    
11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Thread at Bakery

Comments

[ahota84.livejournal.com]

you may just have a higher quality camera...but is their a specific mode or function that you use to get such clear quality with up close shots of food?

My camera gets exremely fuzzy the closer in I get. Any hints?

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

I'm using a 4mp digital camera (Canon Powershot A80) that I love. It has a macro mode that helps sharpen focus as I get in closer though I think if I try to get closer than about 3-5 inches, it's really hard to keep things in focus. Most of these shots are taken at highest resolution from a short distance away (6 to 12 inches?) and then cropped and resized as needed in Photoshop. So what looks like an extreme close-up shot might really be just a cropping to a very small part of a much larger picture. I usually have to throw out a bunch of shots for being blurry due to my hands not being steady enough. I think a tripod would help a lot in these tabletop shots.