Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen Mysteries
11 movies
Murder, She Baked, later rebranded the Hannah Swensen Mysteries, is the cozy franchise where the amateur detective happens to run a bakery and a love triangle at the same time. Hannah Swensen owns The Cookie Jar in the small Minnesota town of Lake Eden, and she keeps finding bodies, then solving the cases over the loud objections of the detective she is falling for. Alison Sweeney stars as Hannah in all 11 films, with Barbara Niven as her gloriously meddling mother Delores, Cameron Mathison as Detective Mike Kingston, and Gabriel Hogan as Norman, the dentist who keeps offering to clean her teeth as a courtship strategy.
The series runs from 2015 to 2025: five films under the Murder, She Baked title, then six more as Hannah Swensen Mysteries after a 2021 revival. The recipe holds steady. A small-town killing, a suitor or two, a great deal of baking, and a heroine who clocks the single detail everyone else walked past. It is adapted from Joanne Fluke's bestselling novels, each named after a baked good, and it is dangerously easy to keep watching.
Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen Mysteries movies in order
Each murder stands alone, so any order works for the mystery. Release order, though, follows Hannah's romance and the cast shuffle between the Murder, She Baked and Hannah Swensen eras, which is worth keeping straight.
- 1
Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery(2015)
The 2015 film that launched the franchise. Hannah finds her friend and delivery driver shot dead behind The Cookie Jar and, ignoring the new detective's warnings, starts working the case herself, turning up gambling debts among the town's supposed elite. It introduces Hannah, Mike, and the bakery in one efficient swoop. The most-watched entry and the obvious place to start.
- 2
Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery(2015)
A Christmas case. Hannah finds the shady owner of a Christmas tree lot shot dead days before the holiday and works it while juggling Mike and the dentist Norman. There is a cackling animatronic elf used for jump scares more than once, which tells you the tone. A festive swindle-and-revenge plot, and a fine December pick.
- 3
Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery(2016)
The one where Hannah is the suspect. Her new bakery rival is found murdered, putting Hannah in the frame and forcing Mike to investigate the woman he is courting while Norman helps clear her. Mistaken identity drives a twistier plot than usual, and the love-triangle tension finally pays off in awkwardness. One of the more entertaining entries.
- 4
Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe(2016)
Hannah and her sister find the sheriff dead right before an election, and with her own brother-in-law as the prime suspect, she has to find the real killer while running a charity cookbook drive. Small-town politics and family loyalty raise the stakes past the usual. A grounded, well-clued mid-series mystery.
- 5
Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts(2017)
The last film under the Murder, She Baked banner. Hannah investigates the murder of a fellow bake-off judge while the rival-suitor tension between Mike and Norman keeps simmering. It is a steady, comfortable send-off for the original era, and a clean stopping point before the franchise went quiet for a few years.
- 6
Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2021)
The 2021 revival, retitled a Hannah Swensen Mystery and picking the cast right back up. Now engaged to Mike, Hannah finds a fitness instructor dead in a gym hot tub and runs her own inquiry while Delores hijacks the wedding planning and throws a Regency-themed book launch. A confident restart that proves the show still works.
- 7
Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2023)
A colder, older case than usual. An explosion at a historic building reveals a skeleton missing since 1995, sending Hannah into a decades-old jewelry heist and a killer who has been hiding in plain sight for years. With her mother's help and Mike's disapproval, she works the most somber mystery the franchise had attempted to that point.
- 8
A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2023)
A character-driven case with a heavy dose of mother-daughter comedy. While house-hunting with her sister, Delores finds a regular Cookie Jar customer dead, and Hannah suspects a secret inheritance behind it, all while navigating a rough patch with Mike. Delores fussing over recessed lighting at a crime scene is exactly as fun as it sounds.
- 9
A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2024)
The start of a new chapter, introducing Victor Webster as investigator Chad. Hannah and Chad chase the same murder from different angles while working to clear an implicated colleague, and Delores gets her big break. A transitional film that quietly reshuffles the romance after the long Mike-and-Norman era.
- 10
One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2024)
Hannah's guest baking class at the local college turns deadly when a professor is found dead with one of her own knives, and she works to clear her name as Delores launches a comically self-serious PI agency. It folds prosecutor Chad Norton properly into Hannah's orbit. A brisk, classroom-set whodunit.
- 11
Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery(2025)
The most recent, a feature-length 2025 outing. A TV cooking show takes over The Cookie Jar, and when the producer turns up dead, Hannah teams with Norman to investigate while her romance with prosecutor Chad heats up. The behind-the-scenes setting and the show's celebrity host, who somehow cannot bake, give it a fun closing-chapter energy.
Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen Mysteries cast
Frequently asked questions
What order should I watch the Hannah Swensen movies?
Release order is best. Each murder stands alone, but watching in sequence follows Hannah's romance and the cast changes between the Murder, She Baked films and the later Hannah Swensen Mysteries.
How many Murder, She Baked / Hannah Swensen movies are there?
There are 11 films in total: five released as Murder, She Baked between 2015 and 2017, and six more as Hannah Swensen Mysteries from 2021 through 2025.
Who plays Hannah Swensen?
Alison Sweeney plays Hannah in all 11 films. Barbara Niven plays her mother Delores throughout, with Cameron Mathison as Detective Mike Kingston and Gabriel Hogan as Norman in the earlier and middle entries.
Are the Hannah Swensen movies based on books?
Yes. They are adapted from Joanne Fluke's bestselling Hannah Swensen novels, each of which is named after a baked good, just like the films.
Where can I watch the Hannah Swensen Mysteries?
The films air on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and stream on Hallmark+. Check each movie's page on HallmarkDB for current availability.