SOUTHERN RECIPE RESTORATION PROJECT: Light, airy and totally unexpected

This contribution to our ongoing series came with a bonus: a spiral-bound, handwritten cookbook filled with tried-and-true cookie recipes and the stories behind them, compiled by reader Libba Wilson.

The recipes came from her own files as well as those of her sister, mother and longtime friends Molly Brown, Pat Molpus and Caroline Woodall, with whom she shares a multitude of sweet memories that involve cookie dough.

In her letter, Wilson told us about her mother’s signature Surprise Kisses —- and the variation she devised using them as a meringue base and filling them with lemon curd. Tester Deborah Geering tried them both and pronounced them winners.

The contributor: Libba Wilson, a mother of two and grandmother of four who lives in Fairburn and grew up in Montgomery and Atlanta. Years ago she was an assistant buyer in the costume jewelry department of the now-defunct Davison’s department store. More recently she took up making floral arrangements and gift baskets featuring her homemade cookies.

The story: “My mother, Sara Elizabeth Schlater Appleton, was an amazing cookie baker. When my sister, Coker, and I were children, one of our favorite jobs was that of delivering cookies in the neighborhood. Christmas was a particularly busy delivery season. But we also welcomed new babies with cookies and our cookie deliveries cheered those who were recovering from illnesses or surgery.

“When I was in high school, my friends loved coming to our home so they could indulge in Mother’s wonderful cookie creations. And we were sometimes allowed to try baking cookies ourselves.

“Her signature cookie was something she called Surprise Kisses. They literally melt in your mouth.

“My sister and I feel fortunate that the cookie-baking gene was passed on to us. And I hope I am passing it on to my grandchildren! I was so pleased when my daughters-in-law, Patricia and Sherry, started asking me for cookie recipes that it inspired me to compile them in a little cookbook.

“My mother died on her birthday in 2002, but as you can see, she left a cookie-baking legacy.”

Anyone interested in buying Libba Wilson’s “Cookie Collection” for $15 may call 770-964-8391.

Mama E.’s Surprise Kisses

Makes 72 (1 1/2-inch) kisses

Hands on: 30 minutes

Total time: 3 1/2 hours

When you bite into these pretty, free-form cookies, you’ll find a surprise inside: Just enough chocolate to make you want to bite into another one.

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

8 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) semisweet chocolate mini-chips

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar; continue beating until egg whites are stiff enough to hold peaks. Add the sugar slowly, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Use a spoon to drop 1-inch kisses 1 inch apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Allow to air dry for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Bake the cookies for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set and dry to the touch. They should be easy to remove from the paper. Do not let the cookies brown.

Per kiss: 43 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), trace protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 2 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 13 milligrams sodium.

Darlene Eskew’s Easy Lemon Curd

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour (includes chilling time)

This curd is just as tart, sweet and creamy as the kind made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, but it’s a lot less work. Lemon curd may be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

4 egg yolks

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Beat the egg yolks and eggs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and mix well. Whisk in the eggs and then the lemonade concentrate. Stirring constantly, cook until thick, smooth and glossy, 7 to 8 minutes. (If you get lumps, press the curd through a fine-mesh strainer.) Chill before using.

Per tablespoon: 85 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 1 gram protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 5 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 63 milligrams cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.

Libba Wilson’s Lemon Meringue Cookies

Makes 50

Hands on: 45 minutes

Total time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

This Fairburn cook came up with a pretty and delicious variation of her mother’s recipe by making them into mini-meringue shells and filling them with an easy recipe for lemon curd supplied by a friend. You’ll get uniform results with a pastry bag, but you can also form the meringue shells by dropping from a spoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then using a slightly wet thumb to press an indentation in the meringue.

1 recipe Mama E.’s Surprise Kisses (basic meringue ingredients minus the nuts and chocolate chips)

1 recipe Darlene Eskew’s Easy Lemon Curd

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Fill a pastry bag with meringue; fit with a star (No. 19, 20 or 21) or plain open (No. 12) tip. Pipe a 1-inch coil to form the bottom of a cup. Then pipe a ring around the edge of the coil to form the wall of the cup. Repeat with remaining meringue. Allow to dry 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Bake the meringues until dry and easily removed from the paper, 35 to 45 minutes. Do not allow the cups to brown. Cool.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, fill the meringue cup with Lemon Curd.

Per cookie: 62 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 1 gram protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 2 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium.

Share your own heirloom recipe

You, too, can share an heirloom recipe and honor a loved one: Go to ajc.com/food, and under Recipe Restoration Project click on Submit Yours and fill out the form. Or e-mail it to savingsouthernfood@gmail.com. Or mail it to Southern Recipe Restoration Project, c/o Food Editor Jamila Robinson, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.