Lorna Doone and Scotch Shortbread

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

• Use a pastry blender or a fork to blend the ingredients together. This mixture will be a little crumbly, like pie crust.
• Pat the crumbly dough into an ungreased 9 x 9 pan, press down to fill to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
• Bake in 375 oven 25-30 minutes, or until the cookies are set with only a tinge of brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm.

This cookie is wonderful dipped in chocolate. After cutting the bars, remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Dip each bar into melted chocolate candy, and cool on waxed paper.

You can double this recipe and use a 13x9x2 pan. Cookies will be a little thicker, and you may need to adjust baking time.

And now, the "person":

Lorna Dooneis the heroine in a novel of the same name written by Richard Doddridge Blackmore . It was published in England in 1869. The first printing was done in three volumes, and it did not sell well. Blackmore had a second printing done as a single volume which became an instant hit. It was well received by his contemporaries such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Hardy. It has never been out of print, and is indeed a classic.

Young men at Yale voted Lorna Doone their favorite novel in 1906. While it was not intended to be an historical novel, it is considered to be one by modern readers. It follows Victorian themes of propriety, and Blackmore took great pains with his writing to create dialects and authentic vernacular in the dialog of his characters. 17^th century speech may be difficult to follow for some of today's younger readers, but it is the colloquial speech that creates the charm and personalities of the characters.

The plot is one of mystery, blood and murder, love, and revenge. The Doones are a Scottish family of outlaws and murderers who are actually based on real people. If you're looking for a quick read, this is not it, but it definitely is a book you won't want to put down. You might check with your movie rental store, because there are several movie versions of it.

Lorna Doone was not Blackmore's favorite novel. However, his other works have gone out of print and Lorna Doone lives on. Not only is Lorna Doone still in print, a new TV movie version of it was released in 2001, following a film version from 1922 which was digitally restored and also released in 2001.

The cookie supposedly was named Lorna Doone(TM) because it is a Scotch shortbread cookie. The cookie was first marketed under the name Lorna Doone(TM) in 1912, when the novel was still in its extended Victorian heyday. Even Nabisco is not sure, but many surmise that it is the Scotch part that makes the correlation between the shortbread cookie and the Lorna Doone name.

A plate of cookies and a good book may not be the healthiest way to spend an evening, but it sure can be satisfying.

Pass the milk, please.