Mazarins

Mazarins are popular in most Scandinavian pastry shops—especially in Sweden, where they are referred to as “a man’s pastry” because they are not too fancy or fussy. When I was in the retail pastry business, there was a woman working behind the counter who always mentioned the mazarin pastries whenever a male customer asked for a suggestion, explaining, “The chef refers to these as a man’s pastry.” I learned that the typical response upon hearing this was (with a smile and a bit of bravado),