Sampling Key Lime Pie sounds like a great job, but finding a dead contestant may just ruin the fun. Haley Snow is a food critic in Key West Florida. It’s time for the annual Key Lime Pie contest and Haley has to write about her favorites from the contest for the local newspaper. What type will win: graham cracker crust or traditional pie crust, whipped cream topping or meringue?
This is book 10 in the Key West Food Critic cozy mystery series. The story takes place when everyone would want to be in Key West, wintertime. Food critic Haley Snow gets the luxury and filling job of tasting all of the Key Lime pies while also meeting her new Mother-in-Law.
The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes Book Review
Outline and Tone:
I’ve never been to Key West (although I would love to go), but the best Key Lime Pie I ever had was at Flounders Chowder House in Pensacola, FL (@FloundersChowda). They serve a triple layer Key Lime Pie that is heaven on a plate! In Key Lime Crime, Haley Snow is a food critic with a local Key West newspaper. It is the week between Christmas and New Year and the annual Key Lime Pie contest is about to begin. It is Haley’s job to sample all of the pies and give her personal review for the paper. What a job! Unfortunately, in the process of this busy season, her new mother in law has come to town for the first time. Haley and her new husband have no room for her in their houseboat and after a murder is discovered, Nathan, a local detective, has no time to entertain his mom so the burden of host falls on Haley. Is the murderer someone from the pie contest or someone seeking revenge on Nathan after being released from jail? The pace of this book is just right. The story moves and keeps me guessing. If only I could have had a piece of pie every time Haley got to sample one. Here is a picture of Flounders triple layer key lime pie. It is 10/10 highly recommended!
The author:
Like so many cozy mystery authors, Lucy Burdette is a pen name for Roberta Isleib; she is a clinical psychologist and author of three book series. She has written 12 books in the Key West Food Critic series and book 13 is due to be released in 2023. She is also the author of a Golf Mystery Series and the Advice Column Mysteries. Many of her books have been on the short lists for awards and The Key Lime Crime won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards. She is active on many social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She also has an active Pinterest account. On Goodreads, she does a great job answering questions. Be sure to reach out to her on some platform to let her know you enjoyed her book.
What is not to like?:
The only thing I didn’t like was I jumped into this series at book #10. The book works as a stand alone with a few references to past events that I am now excited to read. I hope to learn more about Haley’s house boat and what life is like to live in one.
The verdict:
The protagonist, Haley, is likable and relatable. The pacing of the book is just right and the mystery was clever. On top of those pros, the recipes are delicious. I say this one is a winner.
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).
Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Assemble the ingredients
Please note the Chai seasoning I chose to use by Kitchen Crafted BLND Love My Chai Tea Mix. I am impressed with the quality, smell, and flavor of this spice blend and I was also pleasantly surprised by its affordable price.
This cookie dough needs to refrigerated so do not start by preheating the oven.
Sift dry ingredients (salt, sugar, low-sodium baking powder, and flour) together. Set aside.
Using either a beater or a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, about 1 to 2 minutes after each addition. 
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients-don’t beat too long or the cookies will be tough.
It is worth it to get the larger stand mixer. This is big enough to handle any recipe and most recipes when doubled!
I found the dough to be very crumbly and added 1-2 Tablespoons of water to help it stay together. I poured to dough onto an extra large silicone pastry mat and kneaded shortly to incorporate the water and shape the dough into the 2 logs.
Silicone Pastry Mat for Rolling Dough 16" x 24", Red LINK
Divide dough into two parts, roll into logs, and wrap with parchment paper. This isn’t a beauty contest, so no need to be too fussy about your logs, as you’ll be rolling the cookies too. There is no need to be certain the 2 logs are exactly the same.
Refrigerate two hours or freeze one hour. Or as I did, refrigerate overnight.
Now it is time to make the cookie balls and roll them in the sugar and chai tea seasoning blend. Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees
Mix the cinnamon, chai spice, and remaining sugar on a plate. 
Cut the logs into one-inch pieces and form them into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon mixture and place them on 2 parchment-covered baking sheets. You should end up with about 2 dozen cookies-big ones!
Instead of using parchment paper, I prefer to use a silicone baking mat (not to be confused with the rolling mat) OXO Good Grips Silicone Baking Mat is my go-to for all cookies.
At this point the recipe calls to put the cookie sheet in the oven and bake, but I like to press down on the dough with the bottom of a measuring cup and sprinkle extra sugar and seasoning mix on top.
Bake 8-10 minutes, removing them from the oven as soon as the first cracks appear.
The cookies bake up pillow-y and soft. They are the perfect side to a mug of tea!
What would I do differently next time?
The recipe does not call for any vanilla, but I would add vanilla with the eggs next time.
Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies from: The Key Lime Crime
Ingredients
- ¼ tso salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) unsalted, softened
- 2 eggs
For the topping
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp chai spice mix
- 3 Tbsp additional sugar
Instructions
- Sift dry ingredients (salt, sugar, low-sodium baking powder, and flour) together. Set aside.
- Using either a beater or a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, about 1 to 2 minutes after each addition.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients-don't beat too long or the cookies will be tough.
- Divide dough into two parts, roll into logs, and wrap with parchment paper. This isn't a beauty contest, so no need to be too fussy about your logs, as you'll be rolling the cookies too.
- Refrigerate two hours or freeze one hour. [Or overnight]
- Mix the cinnamon, chai spice, and remaining sugar on a plate.
- Cut the logs into one-inch pieces and form them into balls.
- Roll the balls in the cinnamon mixture and place them on 2 parchment-covered baking sheets. You should end up with about 2 dozen cookies-big ones!
- [Molly's note] Flatten the cookie dough balls slightly with the bottom of a measuring cup and sprinkle more sugar and spice mix on top.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, removing them from the oven as soon as the first cracks appear.
Looking to bake more cookies? Try these Cocoa Snaps from Strawberry Shortcake Murder. They are best warm and chewy! Or Joanne Flukes original cozy mystery, Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery and her Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies
