Maid of Honor Pastry Recipe

Christmas brings a flood of cherished traditions, each one adding layers of new memories to our lives. These traditions, as they repeat year after year, become the very essence of what we call home. It's this feeling that I aim to recreate in my own family. One tradition that stands out, and let's be honest, is probably the yummiest on my list, is the Maid of Honor pastry at Christmas time.

I have vivid memories from my early years of visiting great grandma and grandpa. They always had a batch of these tasty treats waiting for us. As the years passed and my great grandparents aged, my grandpa kept their tradition alive.

This English treat connected them to their roots, and for the better part of my growing up years, Grandpa would bring us a tin filled with Maid of Honors. We'd try to ensure everyone got one, but truth be told, one or two are never enough—they're that good.

When I got married and couldn't always be home for Christmas, I took on the responsibility of making them myself. Surprisingly, they're quite simple to make. I make sure to whip up enough to last me a few days because, as I've already mentioned, you won't want to stop at just one.

Here's how to make these special treats:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then grease your muffin tins well with Crisco. You don’t bake these in cupcake liners.

I take the easy route and use store-bought pie crust. Roll it out on a pastry mat until it's thin enough to begin seeing the lines on the pastry mat. Cut out circles (about 2.5 inches). Then place one in each muffin tin. Let the crust fold up slightly on the edges of each muffin tin.

Spoon a small dollop (around 1 tsp) of jam into each muffin tin. Raspberry is my top pick, but strawberry works too!

Make a box of cake mix, using the directions on the box. I use yellow or white cake mix. Spoon the batter into each muffin tin, making sure it covers the jam without overflowing. You don’t fill these as full as a typical cupcake. Otherwise, they get funky peaks on the top as they bake.

Keep a close eye; bake for about 10 minutes. It's a bit less than the suggested cupcake time on the box. Test with a toothpick to make sure they're cooked through. Once they are cooled enough, I like to transfer them onto a baking sheet with sides to finish cooling. It’s nice to have them on this pan when doing the sprinkles so sprinkles don’t go everywhere.

While they cool, whip up your favorite powdered sugar icing. Aim for a thick drizzle icing, not a glaze. You want the icing to dry thick and white and stay where you put it. You don’t want a glaze that dries transparent. Dip the tops of each Maid of Honor into the icing and add sprinkles before it sets.

To keep them fresh, place each Maid of Honor into a cupcake liner and store in an airtight container. Try not to devour them all in one go, although if you do, welcome to the club – you'd fit right in with my family!

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