When Aunt Marian was at Fort Oglethorpe did she miss her family and the familiar foods from home? Maybe she pulled out her handwritten cookbook–the one I now have– and dreamed of favorite foods from home, like her sister Naomi’s London Tea Cakes.

Here’s how I made the recipe:
London Tea Cakes
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
jam or marmalade
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/3 cup walnut, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar (more if you like)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine butter and sugar; add egg yolks one at a time and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, vanilla, and water; then stir until mixed and a dough forms. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a greased cookie sheet, and spread with jam.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then gradually add sugar while continuing to beat. Gently fold in the walnuts and spread evenly over the dough and jam.
Bake about 20 minutes. When cool cut into 2-inch (or 1-inch) squares.
The London Tea Cakes were light and delicate. The jam–I used cherry jam—and meringue with walnuts added a lovely, flavorful dimension to the tea cakes.