Culinary cozy mysteries make up a huge part of my reading so narrowing down this list to just five was darn near impossible. Seriously, this was a really tough list to put together. But it’s too late for me to change my mind about the 5 for Friday theme now, so here goes nothing (I apologise profusely to all the amazing culinary cozy authors that aren’t on this list – I love you all!).
For each series, I feature the cover/title of Book One and then link to the series list on Goodreads.. Also, have you noticed that browsing titles of culinary cozies is like taking a course in Mastering the Pun? Here are five of my favourite cozy mystery series that focus on food and drink and all things culinary!
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A Bakeshop Mystery Series by Ellie Alexander
Nestled in the picturesque little town of Ashland, Oregon (home of the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is Torte – a friendly, small-town family artisan bake shop run by Juliet Montague Capshaw, better known as Jules. After spending time travelling the world as the pastry chef on a cruise ship, returned home to heal her broken heart and help her mom run Torte.
I’m not just in love with Juliet, I love all the characters in this series (I started naming them but there are just so many good secondary characters that I couldn’t name them all here!). This is also one of the longest-running series that I still haven’t gotten tired of. I want to visit Torte daily for a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. This is one of my favourite culinary cozy series. Author Ellie Alexander also writes the Sloan Krause Mysteries, another favourite of mine.
Book 1: Meet Your Baker.
ADD TO GOODREADS | SHOP THE SERIES ON: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Whisky Business Mystery Series by Melinda Mullet
When Abigail Logan inherits her uncle’s quaint and storied single malt distillery in the Scottish Highlands, she finds herself immersed in a competitive high-stakes business that elicits deep passions and prejudices. An award-winning photojournalist, Abi has no trouble capturing the perfect shot—but making the perfect shot is another matter. Arriving on the scene with her whisky-loving best friend, Patrick, and an oversized wheaten terrier named Liam, Abi seems to put everyone in the bucolic village on edge—especially her dour but disturbingly attractive head distiller.
I picked up this series right around the time that my husband started building his modest, but growing, whisky collection, so it was great fun to enjoy a cozy mystery AND learn about whisky at the same time. There’s lot of great info about whiskies, the distilling process and the industry in general as the reader learns about the whisky industry in Scotland alongside the protagonist, Abi. Amongst all the cozy mysteries I’ve read (culinary and non-culinary), Abi is still one of my favourite main characters.
Book 1: Single Malt Murder.
ADD TO GOODREADS | SHOP THE SERIES ON: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series by Jenn McKinlay
Best friends and cupcake shop owners Mel Cooper and Angie DeLaura are so much fun! Along with their families, friends, love interests and staff, this series has been evolving and growing to keep things from getting stale. You will drool over their cupcakes, envy the strong friendships friendship and even smile in recognition when they start playing their movie quote game.
I love all the included cupcake recipes and inspiration (I bake A LOT of cupcakes) and I really enjoy the friendships and movie quote game. Of all the series on this list, this is the one I’ve been reading the longest and probably helped cement my love of culinary cozies. I probably picked it up because of all the cupcakes but I have definitely stuck around for the long run (Jenn McKinlay also writes some fantastic non-culinary cozy mystery series).
Book 1: Sprinkle with Murder.
ADD TO GOODREADS | SHOP THE SERIES ON: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery Series by Virginia Lowell
I never thought that I would be so captivated by a series that surrounds a shop that sells cookie cutters. COOKIE CUTTERS! Who would have thought?
Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House, a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie, including cookbooks and cookie cutters. Olivia’s best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, and together the duo dream up new cookie recipes, run their shop and bake up scrumptious treats for their cookie-themed parties.
Olivia’s amateur sleuthing adventures are quite enjoyable and the cookie recipes sound amazing. While I’m pretty good at baking (I mentioned earlier that I bake a lot of cupcakes, plus I can manage cakes, bars and other sweet treats) but cookies are my nemesis. I can never get them right. But I can keep trying, right? This mystery series has me wanting to get those cookie recipes and hit the kitchen again, it even makes me almost want to start collecting cookie cutters! (Almost).
Book 1: Cookie Dough or Die.
ADD TO GOODREADS | SHOP THE SERIES ON: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY
A Comfort Food Mystery Series by Christine Wenger
Trixie Matkowski is in need of a fresh start away from her cheating ex-husband, but she may be biting off more than she can chew when she moves to upstate New York to run her family’s famed Silver Bullet Diner. After agreeing to take over her aunt’s diner, Trixie pictures lakeside views and delicious comfort food in the small town where she spent summers as a child.
Alongside the usual murder investigations and romantic tension, I think what appeals to me about this series is the fun diner setting. Besides, who doesn’t love comfort food? Just reading about the dishes and recipes that get served in this series has me craving some good old fashioned diner food.
Unfortunately, the last book in this series came out in 2016, so I don’t know if we’ll get any new additions to the series after Book 5.
Book 1: Do or Diner.
ADD TO GOODREADS | SHOP THE SERIES ON: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY
So that’s it for this Friday! Do you have any favourite culinary cozy mysteries? Please share them with me in the comments because I’m always on the lookout for more series to follow!
Every Friday, I share five things that have caught my interest – from my favourite book blog posts to my favourite bookstagram accounts, from random book lists I’ve put together to my current shopping list of bookish gifts. Have an idea for a future “5 for Friday” post? Leave a comment and let me know!
What a cute idea. I set a goal for myself this year to read a cozy mystery, and one of these might just do it. Great article!
Thanks Elizabeth! I hope you find a cozy mystery that you love – I can’t wait to find out which one you choose!
Your first three pictured series are among my very favorites! And what a clever idea your 5 for Friday is! I wish I had thought of it myself! I’ve bookmarked you blog since I plan to keep coming back.
Thank you so much Lisa! I can’t wait to check out the culinary cozies I discovered on your blog!