Blackberry Pie Murder adds a new twist by putting the main character, Hannah Swensen, in a jail cell waiting to learn if she will be charged with vehicular homicide. Somehow Hannah still must work out the sorted details of the accident and the stranger she hit. Set in summer time, the blackberries are ripe and ready for pie, jam, or these delightful cookies!

This is book #17 in the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. Set in Lake Eden, MN, Hannah owns a bakery and solves murder mysteries, but this time it’s Hannah who ends up in jail. Is she truly responsible for vehicular homicide?

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Fresh Blackberry Cookie Recipe

from a cozy mystery:

Blackberry Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

Book Outline and Tone:

Hannah lands in jail! A car accident leads to the death of a pedestrian and Hannah is responsible. This time instead of finding a dead body, she caused a death. While the accident means Hannah is arrested and goes to jail, the storyline does not end there. Who is the man? Why was he on the road in a storm? What was he doing there? How can Hannah investigate from inside her cell? The plot twist of having the main character in jail is a clever way to start this novel.

Of course, there are side stories in addition to the main mystery. The main story involves Hannah’s mom, Delores, and her unexplainable behavior leading up to her wedding day with Doc. Delores changes her mind and refuses every suggestion. While the reader may assume that Delores’s reactions are a clear indication that she does not want to marry Doc, Hannah has to solve this mystery too.

Point of View:

The book is written from a third person point of view told through Hannah’s experience and includes her thoughts.

The Author: Joanne Fluke

Joanne Fluke published her first Hannah Swenson novel, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, in 2001. Since then she has been a New York Times bestselling author several times. Some of her books have been made into movies on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery can be found online with Hallmark Movies. Joanne Fluke is active on Facebook and Twitter. She does many interviews with her local news station and posts them on her Youtube channel.

What is not to like?:

The novel has 2 cliffhangers. It is a great device to make you want to pick up the next book, but also makes this not a good choice to be read as a standalone novel.

The verdict:

I loved the twist of Hannah landing in jail! I even liked the cliffhanger at the end. I recommend not only reading this book but baking these delightfully tasty cookies.

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).

Fresh Blackberry Cookies

Assemble the Ingredients

Rinse and thoroughly dry the blackberries. You can do this in a strainer and let them dry while you mix up the cookie dough. (If you’re using frozen blackberries, you don’t have to rinse them-just put them in a strainer and let them thaw.)

Grate the lemon zest and set aside.

Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and then spraying the paper with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Place the white sugar and the softened salted butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat them together until they are light and fluffy.

Add the baking powder, salt, and grated lemon zest. Mix them in thoroughly.

Add the egg and mix until it is completely incorporated.

Add one cup of flour to your bowl. Mix it in.

Scrape the sides of the bowl to help incorporate all of the ingredients.

Add the milk to your bowl. Mix that in.

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Add the rest of the flour and mix until all the ingredients except the blackberries.

Turn off the mixer, take out the bowl, and set it on the counter.

Pat the strained blackberries with a paper towel until they are thoroughly dry.

Add them to the dough in the bowl and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula.

The goal here is to keep as many whole, uncrushed berries as possible. Some will crush and juice. It’s inevitable. Don’t despair because that is what will give your cookies streaks of lovely purple color.

Drop the cookies by teaspoonful onto the parchment covered cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-size sheet. (Lisa and I use a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop to make these down at The Cookie Jar.)

Bake the Fresh Blackberry Cookies at 375 degrees F., for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are a light, golden brown color.

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Fresh Blackberry Cookies

Hannah's Note: Winnie told Lisa that this recipe came from her daughter, Gina, who lives in Seattle. Gina developed this recipe while she was still at home on the ranch.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Course cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup fresh blackberries (you can also use frozen)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
½ cup salted butter, softened (1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp grated lemon zest (zest is the yellow part of the peel)
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
¼ cup milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Rinse and thoroughly dry the blackberries. You can do this in a strainer and let them dry while you mix up the cookie dough. (If you're using frozen blackberries, you don't have to rinse them-just put them in a strainer and let them thaw.)
Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and then spraying the paper with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Place the white sugar and the softened salted butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat them together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the baking powder, salt, and grated lemon zest. Mix them in thoroughly.
Add the egg and mix until it is completely incorporated.
Add one cup of flour to your bowl. Mix it in.
Add the milk to your bowl. Mix that in.
Add the rest of the flour and mix until all the ingredients except the blackberries are combined.
Turn off the mixer, take out the bowl, and set it on the counter.
Pat the strained blackberries with a paper towel until they are thoroughly dry.
Add them to the dough in the bowl and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula. The goal here is to keep as many whole, uncrushed berries as possible. Some will crush and juice. It's inevitable. Don't despair because that is what will give your cookies streaks of lovely purple color.
Drop the cookies by teaspoonful onto the parchment covered cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-size sheet. (Lisa and I use a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop to make these down at The Cookie Jar.)
Bake the Fresh Blackberry Cookies at 375 degrees F., for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are a light, golden brown color.
Yield: 2 to 3 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Keyword blackberries, blackberry, cookies, dessert, fresh berries, summer, sweet

What would I do differently next time?

I would probably double the batch next time. The original recipe said it would make 4-5 dozen, but mine only made 2 dozen and I used the small cookie scoop.