Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Poke Wonton Cup Appetizers with Cream Cheese #recipe by @LeslieKarst

These tasty delights, baked in mini muffin tins, are simple to prepare and would make for a fun appetizer for a dinner party, or something to bring to a potluck.

Poke (pronounced poh-kay), a sort of Hawaiian-style ceviche, is now a well-known dish on the Mainland and can be found for sale at many grocery stores. (I even saw it for sale in Paris, France, the last time I was there!).

But if you can’t locate any poke, feel free to substitute ceviche, or chopped cooked chicken or pork seasoned with any of the above flavoring agents, or even leftover sautéed vegetables! The sky’s the limit, because most everything goes with cream cheese and crispy wonton wrappers!

Or you can make your own poke--it's easy! (Recipe here.)

Poke Wonton Cup Appetizers with Cream Cheese

(makes 24 cups)

Ingredients

24 wonton wrappers

vegetable oil

1 package cream cheese

1 lb. poke (or other savory cooked filling)

(note: you’ll likely have more cream cheese and poke than you need for 24 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of oil on the front and back of the wonton wrappers. (Or, if you have it, use spray-on oil to coat the wrappers.)

Place each oiled wrapper into your muffin tins, using your finger to press the wrappers into the edges of the tin, allowing the corners spread out like a flower. (If you only have one tin, simply bake the first batch, then reuse the tin to bake 12 more cups.)

Bake the wrappers for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown, then let cool.

Using a butter knife dipped into a glass of water between cuts, slice the cream cheese into 1” squares, about ¼ to ½” thick.

If your store-bought poke came in large chunks, cut them up into smaller pieces if you wish, as I did:

Place a square of cream cheese on the bottom of each cup.

Then top with poke (or whatever savory filling you’re using), and you’re done! (I used two kinds of poke: sesame and soy sauce, and mayo and sriracha sauce).

Enjoy!

🌱 🍋 🌿

Coming April 7!

Orchid Isle Mystery #3

MURDER, LOCAL STYLE

Available for pre-order here.

"The beauties and customs of Hawai‘i provide a striking backdrop for a murder with an unexpected motive."

Kirkus Reviews

🍍 🌴 🍹

Out now in paperback!

Orchid Isle Mystery #2

WATERS OF DESTRUCTION

Buy link here.

2026 Lefty and Agatha Award Finalist

for Best Mystery/Contemporary Mystery!

"Immerse yourself in Hawaiian lore and savor the portrayal of the stunning landscapes
while enjoying the entertaining mystery."

Kirkus Reviews

Also available

in paperback!

MOLTEN DEATH

Orchid Isle Mystery #1

Buy link here

2025 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Mystery!

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

Booklist

This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly.

Praise for MOLTEN DEATH:

“a compelling read that will enlighten, engage, and entertain, leaving readers longing for their next trip to the Orchid Isle.”

--New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay

“a terrific debut to a series that will go on my must read list!”

--USA Today bestselling author Deborah Crombie

A SENSE FOR MURDER

2024 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Humorous Mystery!

This newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here !

Praise for A SENSE FOR MURDER:

“[Sally is] sassy, irresistible company... Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.”

--Publishers Weekly

“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”

--Kirkus Reviews

Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

is the 2024 Silver Medal Winner for both the

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

and the IPPY Award!

Buy link here

Praise for Justice is Served:

"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court."

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine-

All of the Sally Solari Mysteries (as well as my other books) are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

COVER REVEAL PARTY with ROYAL TARA GIVEAWAY + Chocolate-Stuffed PB Cookies from Cleo Coyle 🎈🍀

Before we share our cookie recipe with you today, Marc and I invite you to drop by the Cover Reveal Giveaway Party at our blog.

We have 2 new mysteries coming out this fall, one in our long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series and another in our Haunted Bookshop world. To celebrate, we're throwing a special Prize Package Giveaway for our readers that includes a gorgeous bone china Irish Blessing coffee mug from Royal Tara...

GIVEAWAY NEWS!

Click here to jump to win our

Prize Package Giveaway!

☕

Cleo's Prize Package Includes:

👉 A bone china Irish Blessing coffee mug
from Royal Tara in Galway, Ireland.

👉 A signed copy of NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY

in its beautiful new paperback edition.

👉 A sturdy, canvas Coffeehouse Tote Bag.

👉 A set of glossy Cleo Coyle recipe cards.

👉 And signed copy of one of our
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries! 👻📚

TO LEARN MORE

AND ENTER:

Click on the red button above
to jump to our contest.

☕

Good luck, good eating,

and good reading!

Now, for today's recipe...

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

A Note from Cleo

Today is the birthday of my partner in life and crime-writing and because peanut butter cookies always make Marc happy, I'm baking them up for him and you.

These coffeehouse-sized peanut butter cookies are sweet, tender, and stuffed with enough ooey-gooey melted chips to make a chocolate lover swoon.

May you eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo

Click here to download
my recipe as a free PDF
that you can print, save,
or share.

Click for Cleo's
free recipe PDF.

Cleo Coyle's
Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 18–20 big, stuffed cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1¼ cups peanut butter (standard creamy, for best results on the texture of the cookie, do not use sugarless or "natural" peanut butters that separate)

1 cup granulated sugar plus ½ cup, for dusting

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup good quality semisweet chocolate chips

Step 1—Make the dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and blend well. Finally, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix only enough until a soft dough forms.

Step 2—Form and stuff: Pinch off generous pieces of dough and roll into big, golf-ball-sized rounds. Cradle the cookie ball in one hand. Use the thumb of your opposite hand to make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie ball. Fill the hole with about a teaspoon of chocolate chips and then seal the chocolate inside the dough ball. Gently roll the balls in white, granulated sugar for a finished look.

Step 3—Freeze: Place the cookie balls on a wax-paper-covered plate in the freezer for 30 minutes. (The wax paper will prevent the dough from adhering to the plate.) This freezing step is the key to a successful cookie. If you don’t freeze the cookie dough before baking, the cookie may break while baking and the chocolate may ooze out instead of staying in the center of the cookie. (If you plan to freeze the dough longer than 30 minutes, wrap it in plastic and foil to prevent freezer burn.)

Step 4—Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chilled cookie balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, keeping the balls a few inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake them for 20–30 minutes (possibly longer if they've been in the freezer for a day or two). The cookies are not done until they flatten out, so be patient and wait for this to happen. The chocolate should stay inside. A nice “cover” for a cookie with oozing chocolate is to gently dust with confectioners’ sugar....

Yes, a bit of sweetness often

rescues the day—and the cookie!

Note: When making cookies, always allow your baking sheets to cool before putting more dough on them. A hot baking sheet will cause any cookie to spread too much and please do…