Hannah Swensen Murder She Baked is one of the top mystery film series you can watch on Hallmark. The movies are based on a cozy mystery novel series by American writer Joanne Fischmann (Joanne Fluke).
The film series stars Alison Sweeney as Hannah Swensen, a small-town baker turned amateur sleuth who solves murder mysteries in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Despite the dark premise, the movies are light-hearted and entertaining, making for an exciting watch.
Below is a detailed look at all of Hannah Swensen’s Murder She Baked movies in order.
How many Hannah Swensen’s Murder She Baked movies are there?
So far, 11 movies have been released in Hannah Swensen’s series. The first five films were released under “Murder, She Baked: (title).”
However, in 2017, the film series went on a hiatus before returning in 2021 with the rest of the movies released under the name “Title: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.”
Despite the name change, most of the franchise remains the same, with the cast members in the original series reprising their roles.
In an interview with Entertainment Now, Alison Sweeney revealed that the name change was due to new executives being involved after the hiatus:
“[The rebrand] was a product of it being a new production and having new people involved.“
She also revealed that the new title was intended to emphasize the story’s focus on Hannah Sweeney and her friends.
Hannah Swensen’s Murder She Baked movies in chronological order
Are you interested in watching the Hannah Swensen mysteries? Below is a list of all the released films so far in chronological order.
- Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery
- Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery
- Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery
- Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe
- Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts
- Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
1. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery
- Release Date: May 2, 2025
- IMDb Score: 6.7
- Directed by: Mark Jean
- Written by: Joanne Fluke, Nancy Silvers, and Donald Martin
Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery is the first film in the Hannah Swensen franchise. It is based on the book Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.
The film introduces Alison Sweeney as Hannah Swensen, the owner of Cookie Jar, a local bakery that is a popular hangout spot for the town.
However, things in the quiet town take a turn for the worse when Hannah discovers her friend and deliveryman murdered near her bakery, next to chocolate chip cookies.
Hannah then takes it upon herself to investigate and solve the murder despite repeated warnings from Mike (Cameron Mathison), a state detective brought in to handle the investigation.
In addition to Hannah and Mike, the film introduces other characters like Hannah’s meddling mother, Delores (Barbara Niven), interior designer sister, Andrea (Lisa Durupt), and local dentist (and Hannah’s love interest) Norman (Gabriel Hogan).
2. Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery
- Release Date: November 2015
- IMDb Score: 6.8
- Directed by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Nancy Silvers
The second film in the Murder, She Baked series takes place around Christmas, with the entire town of Eden Lake getting ready for the holidays.
Hannah’s life is once again thrown into a whirlwind after she discovers the body of Lary Jaeger, the owner of a Christmas tree lot.
She takes an interest in the case and returns to her sleuthing ways. She again disregards the warnings of detecting Mike, who is trying to keep her safe after she almost ran into danger in the first film.
The film also delves deeper into the characters’ lives, from Hannah’s love triangle with Mike and the local dentist Norman to her mother’s meddling ways.
3. Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery
- Release Date: January 2016
- IMDb Score: 6.9
- Directed by: Kristofer Tabori
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Teena Booth
In the third film, local baker Hannah is involved in a public cook-off after a rival bakery opens across the street from the Cookie Jar and starts drawing her customers away.
Things soon take a dark turn when Hannah discovers the body of Melanie Quinn, one of the rival bakery’s owners, and she becomes a suspect. Once again, she gets involved in the murder investigation, this time trying to clear her name.
The film also delves into Hannah’s personal life, especially her connection to Mike, who has to keep his distance because she is a murder suspect, and Norman, who is happy to step in and help her solve the case.
4. Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe
- Release Date: June 2016
- IMDb Score: 6.7
- Directed by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Written by: Joanne Fluke, Teena Booth, and Kraig Wenman
The murder mystery in the fourth Murder, She Baked film revolves around the town sheriff, who is murdered during an election. As usual, Hannah (this time with her sister) discovers the body.
Mike, who is still smitten with Hannah, is the lead detective in the investigation, and she promises him to stay out of it.
However, Hannah’s brother-in-law, Bill, who is running for Sheriff, becomes the main suspect. This forces her to team up with Norman, the town dentist who is also smitten with her, to solve the murder and prove Bill is innocent.
5. Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts
- Release Date: March 2017
- IMDb Score: 6.8
- Directed by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Melissa Salmons
Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts is the fifth instalment of Hannah Swensen’s film series and the last one titled Murder, She Baked.
It follows Hannah as she is hosting the first Lake Eden bake-off competition, where she is the head judge. However, her plans are thrown in disarray when one of the judges is found murdered; this time, the body is discovered by local dentist, Norman.
Mike, who is now dating Hannah, is leading the investigation. As usual, she takes an interest in the case, especially since the killer is targeting all the bake-off competition’s judges, including herself.
6. Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: August 8, 2021
- IMDb Score: 7
- Directed by: Pat Williams
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Marcy Holland
After a four-year hiatus, the Hannah Swensen film series returned in 2021 with Sweet Revenge as the sixth instalment.
Picking up a few months after Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts, Hannah and Mike are now engaged and planning a wedding while trying to balance their relationship with their busy careers.
Things get even more interesting when Hannah discovers Ronni Wood (Kat Ruston), a local spin instructor murdered. As usual, she starts investigating the case, this time with the encouragement and support of her fiancé.
However, the couple must tread carefully in their investigation, especially with Mike’s new partner, Stella (Lucia Walters), a federal agent brought in to assist.
One sad thing about the film is that Hannah’s sparky sister Andrea (Lisa Durupt) is no longer present, having moved to Seattle. However, a new sibling, Michelle (Tess Atkins), Hannah’s younger sister, is introduced.
7. Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: May 2023
- IMDb Score: 6.2
- Directed by: Pat Williams
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Melissa Salmons
Unlike in past films, Hannah is investigating a cold case in Carrot Cake Murder after she and her friend Norman discover a skeleton inside an old building in the town.
The body is identified as that of Gerry McDowell, a thief who disappeared after being involved in a jewellery robbery. With the police not considering his death a murder, Hannah decides to investigate the case.
Unfortunately for Hannah, the investigation leads to misunderstandings with her detective fiancé, Mike, jeopardizing their relationship.
8. A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: October 2023
- IMDb Score: 6.9
- Directed by: Shannon Kholi
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Marcy Holland
In A Zest for Death, Hannah is helping her sister, Michelle, find a place to live. While touring a home, the sisters and their mother, Delores, discover the homeowner murdered.
At first, Hannah, busy with her bakery and moping from her failed relationship with Mike, is reluctant to investigate the case.
However, she can’t help notice the clues to murder, and she starts taking a keen interest in the case, especially when she becomes convinced that the police, led by her ex-fiancé detective, are focusing on the wrong suspect.
9. One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: April 2024
- IMDb Score: 6.5
- Directed by: Shannon Kholi
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Alison Sweeney
In One Bad Apple, Hannah is trying something new career-wise by teaching a baking class at the local college.
However, things go wrong when a gas burner explodes in the kitchen, nearly injuring her and an English professor at the college, Bradford Ramsey (Oliver Rice).
Soon after, Hannah finds Bradford dead in his office, stabbed with a chef’s knife that later turns out to be one of hers. The knife turns her into a suspect, making it more important than ever to investigate the murder and clear her name.
Hannah is assisted in the murder investigation by her sister Michelle and her mother, Delores, who has taken an interest in becoming a private investigator.
Another development in the film is the absence of Mike, who leaves Lake Eden for FBI training in Quantico. A new character is also introduced, prosecuting attorney Chard Norton (Victor Webster).
10. A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: October 2024
- IMDb Score: 6.6
- Directed by: Kevin Leslie
- Written by: Joanne Fluke, Nick Hopkins, and Tim James
In A Sprinkle of Deceit, Hannah’s bakery, the Cookie Jar, is hired to cater a high school reunion organized by Lonnie (Daylin Willis), Michelle’s boyfriend.
During the party, one of Lonnie’s classmates, Darcy (Brittany Michelle), gets into an argument with her boyfriend, and he (Lonnie) offers to take her home.
However, the following morning, Hannah and Michelle find Darcy dead in her bed, making Lonnie the prime suspect.
Hannah starts investigating the case to clear her friend and sister’s boyfriend. IN the course of her investigation, she butts head with the prosecuting attorney Chad, with whom romantic sparks also starts to fly.
11. Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Release Date: February 2025
- IMDb Score: 6.5
- Directed by: Kevin Leslie
- Written by: Joanne Fluke and Alison Sweeney
In Reality Bites, the Cookie Jar is chosen as the location for a reality show hosted by baking legend (and Hannah’s hero) Connie Mac (April Amber Telek).
However, what was meant to be a momentous occasion for Hannah turns sour, first when she discovers Connie is a fraud, and later, when the show’s produce is found murdered inside her bakery.
Hannah teams up with her mother, Delores, friends Norman and Lonnie, and prosecuting attorney/romantic interest Chad to investigate the murder and bring the killer to book.
Do Hannah Swensen’s films follow the chronological order of the books?
Each of Hannah Swensen’s films is based on a book, and the plotlines are very similar, especially regarding murders.
However, the movies do not follow the chronological order of the books. For example, while the first film is based on the first book in the series, the second film is based on the 12th book, the third film on the 7th book, the fourth film on the 5th book, and so on.
Will there be more Hannah Swensen mystery movies?
The Hannah Swensen novel series has 30 books, so fans can hope for many more Hallmark films.
Already, there are two films whose release date has yet to be announced:
- Cooked to Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
- Pie To Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
Going by the past release schedule, the next movie could be released in 2025.