The newest (and dare we say tastiest) addition to the stable of mystery movies at Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will get your mouth watering for a delicious whodunit filled with suspense, intrigue and tantalizing treats. From the pen and whisk of Joanne Fluke, best-selling author of the Hannah Swensen book series, comes Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery on Saturday, May 2.
Alison Sweeney stars as Hannah, the proprietor of the Cookie Jar, which is known as the source of her sleepy Minnesota town’s freshest cookies and coffee, and the hottest gossip. Hannah and her shop might even be considered the town’s egg — the binder that holds everything and everyone together.
But when Hannah’s friend — a local delivery driver — is found dead behind the bakeshop, Hannah is pulled into the mystery when she’s recruited to help chase down the killer. The arrival of a handsome Minneapolis detective (Cameron Mathison) gets a rise out of the intuitive woman as her inquisitive nature turns her from baker to sleuth. “She isn’t quite satisfied by the way that the bigcity detective is handling this case,” explains Sweeney, “and she’s going to do something about it.”
Starring in a film about cookies seems like a dream come true, and Sweeney says she most enjoyed scenes where she got to make the tasty treats. “We did a bunch of montage baking scenes and there was one where I’m rolling out the dough and shaping the cookies into crescents to make Italian wedding cookies, and that was really fun,” she shares. “I really came away with an appreciation for each cookie’s differences and the idea that each cookie tells a story.”
For the actress, stepping into the role of a master baker has reinvigorated her love of the culinary arts.
“I found myself baking more and looking at it from her perspective and how she enjoys the process of it and the whole beauty of it,” she reveals. Sweeney also mentions a favorite line from the film that explains her character’s philosophy of people — and food. “I don’t believe the person chooses the cookie; I believe the cookie chooses the person.”
Sweeney grew up watching TV mysteries and shares, “My mom was such a big fan and I grew up watching Perry Mason and Matlock and Murder, She Wrote and Columbo, and it is nice to bring to life my own mystery series.” She adds, “My mom is going to love these movies!”