Murder She Baked Movies in Order: Inside Hallmark’s Hannah Swensen Franchise

Ten cakes, ten years, and one very unlucky bakery-Hannah Swensen has stumbled onto more Lake Eden crime scenes than any amateur detective has a right to. If you’ve been searching for the correct murder she baked movies in order, the answer involves untangling a mid-run rebrand that trips up even regular Hallmark viewers, since the franchise now spans 14 films across a decade.

Quick Answer

There are 14 Hannah Swensen movies total: five released as “Murder, She Baked” between 2015 and 2017, and nine released as “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” between 2021 and 2026. Alison Sweeney has played Hannah in all 14, and “Best Served Cold” (May 2026) is confirmed as the 14th and most recent film.

The Setup: How It All Began

Hallmark adapted Joanne Fluke’s bestselling Hannah Swensen novels into “Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery” in May 2015. Alison Sweeney took the lead role as Hannah, a Lake Eden bakery owner who runs The Cookie Jar and can’t help investigating whenever a body turns up nearby . 

Four more films followed under that same title through 2017: “A Plum Pudding Mystery,” “A Peach Cobbler Mystery,” “A Deadly Recipe,” and “Just Desserts” . Together, these five movies established the show’s engine-cozy small-town murder, an unlikely detective, and a slow-building romance between Hannah, Detective Mike Kingston, and dentist Norman Rhodes. Then, without much fanfare, the franchise disappeared for four years.

The Reboot Nobody Saw Coming

Hallmark revived the series in 2021, but under a new name: “Hannah Swensen Mysteries.” The first film back, “Sweet Revenge,” picked up directly from where “Just Desserts” ended, rather than resetting the story . It’s the same Hannah, the same bakery, the same town-just a new banner. This is the single biggest source of confusion for anyone looking up the murder she baked movies in order today, since streaming platforms and review sites sometimes list the two eras separately.

Since 2021, the pace has picked up considerably. Hallmark released two films in 2023 (“Carrot Cake Murder” and “A Zest for Death”), one each in 2024 and 2025, and two more in 2026 (“Sugar & Vice” and “Best Served Cold”) . That 2026 double release pushed the franchise to 14 total films, officially confirmed with “Best Served Cold” as the 14th entry.

Murder, She Baked vs. Hannah Swensen Mysteries

Complete Release Order

This is the definitive murder she baked movies in order list, confirmed against official Hallmark premiere records.

The Romance Timeline Matters More Than the Murders

Here’s something most order-of-viewing guides skip: the mysteries themselves are all self-contained, but Hannah’s love life is a running thread that changes meaningfully across the franchise. In the original era, she’s caught between Detective Mike Kingston and Norman Rhodes. That triangle carries into the first few “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” films, until 2024’s “One Bad Apple” introduces prosecutor Chad Norton, played by Victor Webster . 

By “A Sprinkle of Deceit” later that same year, Chad has become Hannah’s primary partner, both in solving crimes and romantically-a shift that carries through “Reality Bites,” “A Pie to Die For,” “Sugar & Vice,” and “Best Served Cold”. If you only care about solving each week’s murder, jump in anywhere. If you want the emotional through line to make sense, follow the table above from the start.

Also Read: Trucks for Sale: What to Know Before You Buy in 2026

Which Mysteries Stand Out

Not every entry hits the same note. “Carrot Cake Murder” stands apart for its darker, decades-old cold case involving a skeleton hidden since 1995-a heavier plot than the franchise usually attempts . “Sugar & Vice” takes a classic locked-room approach, trapping Hannah and a full guest list inside a storm-bound hotel during a masquerade party after a staff member is stabbed. “A Peach Cobbler Mystery” flips the format entirely by making Hannah herself the prime suspect, a twist the series hasn’t repeated since . If you’re picking a handful of films rather than watching all 14, these three showcase the franchise at its most inventive.

Reading Books First? Here’s What to Expect

Fans who know Fluke’s novels sometimes assume each film is a faithful chapter-by-chapter translation. That’s true for some of the earliest entries, but less so lately. Alison Sweeney, who has written several recent scripts, explained her actual process in an interview, she typically begins “with an idea from her books or a character from a book that motivates me,” then builds a new story from there . “Reality Bites,” for instance, is officially credited as an adaptation of the novel “Cooked to Death,” but its reality-TV plot is a substantial departure from the source material to keep the story current .

Who’s Still Around, and Who’s New

Two actors have never missed an installment: Alison Sweeney as Hannah and Barbara Niven as her mother, Delores . Cameron Mathison and Gabriel Hogan carried the Mike-and-Norman rivalry through the franchise’s first decade, while Victor Webster’s Chad Norton has become the newer face of the series since 2024. Lisa Durupt continues to play Hannah’s sister, Andrea, giving the family dynamic a consistent anchor across both eras.

Streaming and Air Dates

New entries premiere on Hallmark Mystery and Hallmark Channel before moving to Hallmark+, which carries the entire back catalog under its “Hannah Swensen Mysteries Collection” . Several of the older “Murder, She Baked” titles are also available to rent digitally through services like Amazon and Apple TV for viewers without a Hallmark+ subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions