Cable TV here is on a America's Next Top Model overload...for it appears, whenever I turn on the TV, they are screening some rerun from the past season. As I watch the pretty young girls pose, pout and bitch among themselves, I found an aspect of the show which strikes a chord in me.
Every week, the girls have to do a thematic photo shoot whereby the weakest performer at the shoot generally gets voted out of the competition. Some of the criticisms and comments made by the photographers sound oddly familiar...
1. they kept telling the girls to seek out the light, watch where the light is coming from and let it fall on their faces.
2. they get frustrated when the girls do not bring variation to their poses, branding them boring and listless.
3. they also get unimpressed when eventually only 1 to 2 frames are usable among the 50 odd frames each contestant is given to work with.
At times, when the judges are deliberating, I would imagine myself, holding my camera standing in front of the judging panel... listening to exactly the same comments which are all so applicable to the photos I have displayed here. Take today, for example, I must have shot some 100 frames and when I eventually sort through them in my computer, was dismayed to find most of them unusable. Lighting is always the main culprit followed by unimaginative composition that gets further restricted by the tripod mount. As a result of which, each frame only shows incremental differentiation from the previous one.
Luckily these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are more pleasing. When I saw these at Edith's blog last week, I knew I had to bookmark this for trial. I had always wanted to bake a cookie with rolled oats. I modified the recipe a little and replaced plain flour with a mixture of wholemeal and corn flour. I was hoping to get a more crunchy cookie but I guess the modification calls for more than a dash of corn flour. Nevertheless, this soft cookie is still delicious and more importantly, I am now more inspired to make more cookies soon.
Recipe (adapted from Precious Moments)
226g Unsalted Butter
180g Light Brown Sugar
2 Large eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
185g Wholemeal flour
10g Corn Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
260g Rolled oats
140g Raisin
Method :
1. Preheat oven to 175C
2. Cream butter and sugar till creammy and smooth
3. Add in Vanilla Extract
4. Sift flour , baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
5. Add (4) into butter & egg mixture.
6. Stir in oats and raisins.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to portion batter onto baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.
9. Cool down completely on cooling rack and store in air tight container.
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45 comments:
I am very into eating cookies at the moment and yours make me drool....!! Do you know any recipes for soft baked cookies? I love Pepperidge soft baked cookies, they're soooo delicious!
Hahaha I love watching ANTM, the latest one, season 15 (i think) is good!! very vogue.. Oatmeal Raisins cookies are my fave too! but I prefer them slightly flatter and with a crunchier crust..
I made these too! They are good as I like chewy cookies.
U bought the goat's milk? I bought that once, and found it tasting different from my usual local goat's milk.
Maybe different types of goat :)
I love oatmeal cookies, and have begun to love chewy one too.
I'm a big fan of rolled oats! These look so lovely with a glass of milk :-)
Haha, my empty office cookie jar is calling out for your oatmeal cookies. I bake these ever so often and they are really good to snack on in-between meals. And it sort of eliminates the "guilty" thoughts.
@cooking gallery, I just bought Martha Stewart's cookbook on Cookies..let me see if they havevthe soft baked versions..
@Swee San, actually I also prefer the crunchier version. Still searching.
@Wendy, actually this is the first time I bought goat's milk. Don't quite like it because ofbthe goaty smell...
I have roll oats everyday and adores them in cookies as well. I have some similar cookies recipes and I like chewy version better. And I realize if u leave the cookies in the jar for up to 3 days, it will eventually turn slightly crunchy or harder on the outside. ;)
I totally agree with you Shirley! I had to take so many shots of the little foods, only to find a couple usable. And sometimes, it's such a hard choice to choose between usable and presentable for me! Can't blame it on the camera. I blame it on the lighting actually. It's quite difficult to find a natural-lit area in my house. Your pictures really turns out very pretty everytime!
What a coincidence! I made Rolled Oats Almond cookies yesterday too! However, mine didn't turn out as nice as yours. I'll have to try yours and Edith's anytime soon! :) Thanks for the recipe.
Mmm delicious and hearty. Love this flavor of cookies.
Gorgeous photos!
thnak god! Im not alone. 150 frames and I'm still wincing cos I hardly have any that are decent. EVERYTIME.
the light IS teh culprit. and I keep changing my props. Ugh.
your cookies look fabulous. I love oatmeal cookies. Love the goats milk bottle.
Good ole Oatmeal raisin cookies! Who doesn't like them??!! Love the addition of corn flour into it.
Wow Shirley! You are way too hard on yourself! Your pictures are gorgeous, so is the styling - it truly brings out the deliciousness and simplicity (which is a good thing!) of these cookies!
Ohhh...look your cookies and photos.
Shirley, your photos always look picture perfect!
Love the look of these cookies. And the photos are beautiful :)
When you said you found something which struck a chord, I thought you were mreferring to the bitchiness and I was like =O haha....lol =) I think it's amazing how there's so much going on behind what seems like a simple photo =D I guess that's why your photos always turn out stunning!! I've wanted to make oatmeal cookies ever since my mum bought me oats for the first time this year...haha- these look delicious!
These cookies look amazing, and this is hubby's favourite flavour, so thanks for sharing the recipe. Beautiful pictures.
*kisses* HH
Beautiful cookies. I would love them with milk. It's a long time I have not made cookies with oat. I need to make again.
I have been in the mood for cookies and these oatmeal cookies look gorgeous!
I love the sounds of this hearty healthier cookie!
I have to admit I've actually grown to like America's Next Top Model quite a bit in the last couple of weeks! These cookies look like they will be the perfect accompaniment to the show! :D
i love a good oatmeal cookie just as much as the next person. but, your photos are fantastic. love the story via your photography!
Oh.... It may be a bit goaty, but my local supplier's goat's milk was really good, like a much creamier cow's milk, unlike Nubian's which was really goaty. I kept the bottle though, might come in handy for styling.
Sometimes, we shoot tethered to our laptop to get the lighting perfect before we take the shot. We also shoot around the house to bring variation to our shots.
Looks so delicious! and I agree with you, LIGHTing is very important.
haha now that I think about it, I do the same thing with my pictures! Tyra and company would be complaining left and right about it!
These cookies look fantastic though. I'm betting you could stuff one into Jay's mouth and htat would shut him up for a bit.
When I use a basic point and shoot camera, I don't have those "frames" problems. However, lighting issue always bothers me. What to do....
You have great photos here. I love them ;)
This is my time of the year where I love to try different cookies before Christmas. Those look so yummy.
Love these cookies ... I am a cookie monster! ;)
Oatmeal raisin cookies were my favorite when I was small. I still think they are so comforting...and yours look particularly comforting. I love how thick and moist they look.
Haha! Shirley, don't get dismayed by photography and styling lah! Even though tripod does somehow refrain you from getting creative with styling and photography, you have to remember, over here, especially in Singapore, you have less space to tinker with the objects, props of your shots! We are not living in ang moh land! Have you realized food shots from ang moh land are much better? LOL! Just my two cents. Sorry if I've offended any other reader/visitor though.
If you think your shots do not come with the wow factor, then what are mine? Worse? I already consider myself a boring photographer and stylist. LOL! Everytime I shoot a few dishes and/or bakes in less than an hour, by playing around with what are within my reach. Tired? Yes. But I love it ... despite the fact that I also screen through 100+ shots to end up with just a few.
Yay! More cookies from Shirley! LOL! It's rare to find you bake cookies! Yours look good nonetheless. =)
Glad that you had a great time at the community event you partook in last weekend.
Take care!
Whata great recipe. I love oat raisin combo. So good and chewy! Yumm!
I seldom make cookies, look at yours, I feel like want to make it soon. Thanks for sharing.
Shirley, you are too hard on yourself and too perfectionist! If your photos dun look nice, I think I have to hide in a corner :P The cookies look great, I prefer crunchy than chewy though I still like chewy cookies.
It's so true, when I watch it, I think why can't you pose more but when I'm asked to pose more I struggle too! Oh and cute milk bottle! I like it! :D
Another great cookie to with milk is the choc chip! :)
It is ages ago i made cookies and these look so so yumm.
i am so totally with you when it comes to taking and posting pics. Your pictures always look great. i love them!
I see that Nubian Goat's milk bottle!! I tried it last weekend when I was in KL. The experience was priceless. my partner and I both bought a bottle each, popped open the lid and took a swig... and silence ensued. For a good 5 minutes our brows were furrowed, we stared at the bottle like it alien, and then proceeded to down it all anyway. It was our first time drinking goat's milk and it's definitely not what we expected. How silly! Since we love goat's cheese. All I can say is, I much prefer the cheese, since the milk tastes exactly like it, except... watery.
Cookie with some hot fresh milk is such a perfect combination. It is more perfect if you are eating these with your kids that is so sweet. Thanks for sharing.
@Rabbittrick- I have to be honest, I didn't like the goat's milk. I bought it more for the bottle, I guess..:)
Goat milk? I never tried that one but I am willing to. What it taste like? I guess cow's milk will do taste good in your recipe.
@Melanie -unfortunately I didn't like the goat's milk. Too goaty for my liking. If you like Dulche de Leche candy made with goat's milk, you will be ok with this.
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