The Great Raisin Debate
We had a lively interchange this week on the Tuesdays with Dorie website while fussing, cussing and discussing this richer than rich candy cookie.
It was all about raisins. Should they or should they not be added to the recipe as Dorie specified.
I cut and pasted selected parts of the fun. Authors will remain anonymous.
It started out innocently enough.
“I was just about to ask if anyone left out the raisins.”
“I like the raisins in this. They provide a bit of tartness, which contrasts nicely with the sweet filling.”
But trouble began to brew early on.
“ I am a little worried about the raisins….”
Then one of my favorite bloggers threw down the gauntlet–with passion.
“One bite and you’ll wish you had left out the raisins!”
Another replied in disgust.
“I never put raisins with chocolate..nasty.”
And yet another detractor came forward.
“I’m not planning to add raisins-I can’t stand ‘em’”
But wait! I hear a shy voice from the back of the room.
“ I love raisinettes- won’t it taste kind of like that?”
And finally, somebody who obviously wants nothing more than world peace and harmony.
“By all means put raisins in if you like them. All of us have different tastes!”
Personally, I don’t care about the raisins one way or the other. I had something else on my mind. My husband gave me Photoshop for Christmas and I just figured out how to draw arrows on pictures. Can you tell?
If you want the recipe for these cookies, grab your raisins…or not, and head over to Confectiona’s Realm for the details.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Love your picture! Your anatomy of a Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bar is just great fun!!
OMG you are hilarious!! Love the picture, hahaha! And the exchange about the raisins, LOL. I actually didn’t follow along on the P&Q for this one as I made this RIGHT after i made the Scherben, so they were done a week ahead of time. As for my take on the raisins, I think they added a nice chew factor, though i used Craisins. LOL Yours look beautiful!
This has to be the cutest photo going. You are so fun…disecting the bar and labeling it! And, btw, it looks fantastic! Great post.
What a wonderful post! I love your arrows and all of the pictures. Your bars look wonderful, too.
I left the raisins out! I love your picture!!
Raisins are guaranteed to start TWD controversy every time! And eggs – were you in the group when someone called a custard “eggy”? Chaos ensued in the P&Q. Great job on mastering the arrow function of PhotoShop. I have Aperture and can’t even open the program.
Brilliant break down of these bars! Dorie should use that in her book.
You did a great job with your arrows.
The raisins were just fine and if they weren’t there, this would still have been fine. Yours do look bigger than mine. What did I do wrong?
LOL! LOVE IT. It reminds me of those diagrams in high school Health.
there is a chocolate bar that i love (made by cadbury, i think?) that consists of sweet chocolate, nuts and raisins and it is absolutely delightful. so, raisins went in mine. yum yum.
yours look GREAT!! hooray for photoshop!!!
I’m always surprised all over again when people discuss their abhorrence for raisins. I’ve always assumed raisins to be universally beloved, by kids and adults alike, but that’s obviously not correct. At any rate, love your photoshopped arrows! That’s one very clear cross-section of the chocolate oatmeal bar.
No raisins in mine, and no peanuts either! You should send your cross-section photo to Dorie for the second edition, as I was really hoping to see a picture of these before I made them. Nicely done!
No raisins here.
No cinnamon either. I added some peanut butter chips.
Hehehe. Love the arrows. Personally, we liked the raisins here.
Gorgeous… I love how your top layer came out, too!
Ha, I love the photoshopping! I would have liked the raisins, but the rest of the family–no! I made these for them. And they are happy folk!
LOL – love your pic with the arrows. I went for cranberries, just to be different – because I had no raisins and I wasn’t buying any. I loved these, and I am sure that I would have loved them just as much with raisins – or without.
Well this is just about the most scientific AND entertaining post I’ve seen! Great work (with photoshop) AND all of your kitchen discoveries! Don’t get me wrong – I love raisins, just not with chocolate (I’ve learned). I’m the “bolded” comment above –
Yours look absolutely wonderful – beautifully photographed and photoshop’d!
I’d like to take at least a bite right now, but alas it was a Lean Cuisine night and I hear Biggest Loser in the background! Great pictures!
I love the close-up of the raisin! And a whole post dedicated to the topic of raisins…how wonderful (even if you are remaining neutral). I purposely avoided the Great Raisin Debate in the P&Q, but anyone who reads my post knows where I stand.
Have fun with Photoshop! I don’t have the patience to learn it.
Oh yea! Fun with Photoshop! Well done arrows!
Thanks for stopping by my place and leaving your comment.
I always find it amusing how worked up folks get about raisins. Almost like “there are three things you should never discuss in public, religion, politics, and raisins!” LOL.
Your bars look wonderful, and congrats on getting Photoshop. I’m jealous!
I love the close-up of the bar with the arrows, beautiful work. We have Photoshop, but I haven’t learned to use it yet. The raisin debate had me so conflicted that I used half raisins and half cherries!
This is the most fun anatomy class I’ve had! Beautiful.
Thanks so much for your post and your kind offer! Cup-measures are on my birthday list, and birthday is not too far away, so I will wait and see if someone took the effort to get some for me! And if not – I will be in Washington and NYC in February for two weeks and will certainly pass by a kitchen-shop.
Seriously, sometimes I have the feeling I need at least half the time for converting the recipes. There are long lists how to convert cups, sticks and table spoons into something my balance understands. Inches, ounces and °F are easier, as there is a standard conversion. But as one cup of flour is something completely different as one cup of raisins, calculating always takes some time. I am bad in maths, and mostly I halve the recipes, what doesn’t make converting easier…
But if I don’tget them for birthday and don’t find a shop (what will be almost impossible… I am sure I will find a lot of great kitchen shops! Last time when I was in NYC I wasn’t attached to cooking and baking at all, so I don’t know any yet, but hey, that’s what the internet is made for!), but, however, if I have too much other things to do, Iwill come back to you, if I may!
Oh Lord…my 2 very favorite foods..chocolate and oatmeal!
Great blog!
Julie
http://www.ridingaside.blogspot.com
Delightful post and photo! We are a passionate group.
Paula,
Wonderful dissection photo. Nice job on the P&Q dialog. Your bars look perfect.
I just got photoshop elements and I need to learn how to use it. For my pictures I recently got a Cannon T1i and I use the 18-55mm lens most of the time.
Mimi
Great looking bars. I loved them too and thought they were much better then candy bars!!
wow, how much time did it take you to do the anatomy picture?