Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015)

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Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! In honor of this auspicious occasion, I am looking back at the movie that started it all for me.

Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery is the first movie in the Hannah Swensen series, based on the books. This movie is based on the book Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, by Joanne Fluke (which I will review next week). 

I watched all of the movies in the series before reading the books, so I had no expectations going into them. A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery is the first cozy mystery movie I ever watched. It was exactly as I thought it would be in that it has that wholesome Hallmark vibe, but with a murder mystery to solve. It isn't gory nor scary and there is no bad language in it, so I could enjoy it to the fullest.

The movie, like the series of books, takes place in the small town of Lake Eden, Minnesota. (There is a real location in Minnesota called Eden Lake, but in the movie the town is called Lake Eden and the fictional lake is called Eden Lake.) I have been to Minnesota and I can confirm it is a beautiful state. It is the perfect setting for a cozy movie, even if it does have a murder mystery to solve in it.

Hannah Swensen is a baker at The Cookie Jar. She is single and lives with her cat, Moishe. Unlike a lot of movies I've seen in the past, her cat is portrayed in a positive light. She confides in Moishe and turns to him for comfort. Her cat even responds to her with some friendly meows. It is clear that she has a close relationship with him, which, as a cat lover myself, warms my heart. There are times when it even looks like Moishe is hugging her.

When Hannah's good friend is murdered, she takes matters into her own hands and tries to solve the mystery herself. She has help from a detective who is new in town after losing his wife. Hannah seems to take the lead in solving the mystery, much to the detective's dismay. In the midst of the investigation there's a budding love triangle, with a cliffhanger at the end of the movie.

Hannah Swensen is played by Alison Sweeney and Detective Mike Kingston is played by Cameron Mathison. The two of them as the lead characters have great chemistry. Cameron Mathison used to play a main character on a soap opera I used to watch. He was one of my favorite actors on the soap, so I was happy to see him again. All of the supporting characters are also delightful to watch.

As for the murder, it is solved at the end of the movie. It wasn't without twists and turns, however. The mystery is strong and and so are the cozy vibes throughout the movie. If I lived in Eden Lake, I would definitely be a frequent customer at The Cookie Jar and hang out with the locals. They are a friendly group of people!

The movie is different than the book, as movies often are. I was glad that I watched the movie first because I didn't have anything to compare it to. I think they're both great if you see them as separate forms of entertainment. You can still enjoy the movie if you've read the book. Just try not to compare them too much. 

Stay tuned for my review of the book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, next week!

UPDATE: Click here for my book review of  Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.