THE INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs

FOR THE CHERRY PIES:
2 sheets refrigerated pie crust
1 jar cherry preserves or cherry pie filling (about 20-30 oz.)
1/2 cup Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon

FOR THE FROSTING:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp meringue powder
5 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp. Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey

FOR THE LATTICE COOKIE:
4 sheets refrigerated pie crust
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

FOR THE WHIP TOPPING:
1 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp meringue powder
Cherries for garnish

THE PROCESS

Combine cherry preserves, bourbon, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large pan. Cook on medium-high heat to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Remove from heat and let sit to cool.
Preheat oven to 450ºF
Roll out 2 sheets of pie crust. Use a circular cutting tool to cut enough circles to fill about 22 mini muffin cavities. Press each circle of dough into each muffin space, leaving a small rim of dough around the top.
Fill each pie with a bit of your bourbon cherry preserves, but be careful not to overfill. Cover and set the remaining filling aside for later.
Re-roll your remaining dough. Use a smaller circle cutter (closer to the exact size of the mini muffin space) to cut the pie tops.
Place each circle of crust onto each pie. Use the tip of a fork to seal the edges of the crust together. Use the tip of a knife to mark an "X" in the center of each mini pie.
Bake the mini pies for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly golden. Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes before removing.
Lower your oven to 350ºF and line your cupcake tins.
Using a paddle attachment or traditional beaters, combine cake mix, butter, and buttermilk. Mix for about 30 seconds.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between and scraping down your bowl as needed.
Fill cupcake liners with 2 tablespoons of batter. Insert mini pie in the center of each space, then top with 2 more tablespoons of batter.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 3 minutes, then move to rack to cool completely.
While your cupcakes bake and cool, prepare your pie crust lattice cookies. We got the idea from Not Martha, where there's a super simple photo tutorial you can use to help you achieve the perfect lattice. Afterwards, we brushed ours with melted butter and sprinkled with a mix of 2 tbsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Bake at 400ºF for about 10-12 minutes, or until they're nice and golden. Save the rest of your cinnamon and sugar mix for a later step!
Now let's make the frosting.. Using a whisk attachment or traditional beaters, cream your butter and cream cheese together.
Dissolve 1 tbsp of meringue powder in 2 tbsp of whiskey and add to your mixing bowl alongside 1 cup of powdered sugar, then mix until well-combined.
Add the remainder of your powdered sugar and whiskey a little at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of your bowl as needed. When it's all incorporated, whisk on high for about a minute.
Using a piping bag fitted with a circular tip, make a single-layer swirl are the top of each cake. Sprinkle your cinnamon and sugar mix along the rim of your frosting, then add some cherry filling to the center of each layer.
Place your lattice cookie however you want. We chose to put ours vertically into the frosting, but it could also work to layer it horizontally.
Using a whisk attachment or traditional beaters, whip 1 cup heavy cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken. Add meringue and powdered sugar together, then whip on high until stiff peaks form.
Using a piping bag fitted with your favorite swirl tip (we used a Wilton 1M), add your whipped topping to center of each cupcake. Top with a beautiful cherry and enjoy!