Alison Sweeney's Hannah Swensen Mystery Movies, Ranked By Reviews

If Hannah Swensen, the beloved baker and amateur detective played by Alison Sweeney, is your favorite character on the Hallmark Channel, you're not alone. Since the first "Murder, She Baked" film premiered in 2015, there have been a total of 14 "Hannah Swensen Mystery" movies. Evidently, Hallmark fans love a bit of crime solving with a sweet tooth. 

Sweeney was joined by fellow Hallmark star Cameron Mathison for eight "Hannah Swensen Mysteries," during which time he played Detective Mike Kingston, who was caught in an ongoing love triangle, fighting local dentist Dr. Norman Rhodes (Gabriel Hogan), for Hannah's affection. Later in the series, Sweeney got a new co-star, and Hannah Swensen gets a new potential love interest in prosecuting attorney Chad Norton (Victor Webster). Through the many changes in Hannah's life, and her bakery, The Cookie Jar, some things stay the same. 

Hannah's first love is always baking, but she just can't quit detective work. It just so happens that she can't stop finding dead bodies, either, making her thirst for investigating always needed. But, which installment of Hannah Swensen's story is the best? We've ranked the entire series based on ratings from the least favorite among fans to the best. For more information about how we got our ranking, stay tuned until the end. In the meantime, let's take a walk through the many chapters of Hannah's cookie and crime-filled story.

Hannah Swensen fans love all the movies involving this charming baker/detective. Yet, one film had to land in last place. That honor goes to the series' seventh installment, "Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery." In this movie, Hannah and Detective Mike Kingston get involved in a cold case when a human skeleton is discovered and determined to be a jewelry thief, who had been missing for decades. Its current 6.2 IMDb score earned it the lowest slot in our ranking.

"Pie to Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" premiered in 2025. In it, things begin to heat up with Hannah and new flame, attorney Chad Norton. Yet, while she's busy with catering and getting ready for her big first date, Hannah discovers a dead body. And this time, her mom (Barbara Niven) is on the list of suspects. With a 6.4 IMDb score, the Hannah Swensen series' 12th installment comes in at No. 13 in our ranking.

"A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," the tenth movie in the series, was first served up in 2024. The film finds The Cookie Jar in a new, bigger location. When a dead body is discovered, however, Hannah decides she's going to stay out of it this time. Unsurprisingly, though, this vow doesn't last long and prosecuting attorney Chad Norton is skeptical of whether Hannah should be getting involved at all. At present, "A Sprinkle of Deceit" has a 6.5 IMDb score, putting it in 12th place.

The tenth installment, "Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," premiered in 2025. Hannah welcomes a baking reality show to The Cookie Jar to film. It isn't long, however, before a member of the show's staff is found dead. Hannah becomes suspicious of the true intentions behind the reality show filming at her bakery in the first place. "Reality Bites" lands in 11th place, thanks, in part, to chronological order, as it ties with the films in 10th and 12th place with a 6.5 IMDb score and a 3.1 Letterboxd score.

Premiering in 2026, "Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" is the 13th movie in the series. This film follows Hannah to a masquerade ball that's being catered by The Cookie Jar. A storm leaves the party guests stranded. So, when Hannah discovers a dead body, she has to investigate, while keeping it a secret from the other party guests. A 6.5 IMDb score, a 3.1 Letterboxd score, and its more recent premiere date earned "Sugar & Vice" its No. 10 ranking.

"One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" (2024) is the ninth film in the series, and it marks a new chapter for Hannah. She finds herself single since Mike Kingston moved away for another job. And she has started teaching college baking classes only to discover the dead body of someone she works with. She begins investigating, this time, with the help of her family. Yet, Chad Norton, Lake Eden's prosecuting attorney, isn't exactly keen on her doing amateur detective work. "One Bad Apple" comes in ninth place with a 6.6 IMDb score.

"Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery" kicked off the beloved series when it premiered in 2015. It introduced fans to Hannah Swensen, owner of the Minnesota café and bakery, Hannah's Cookie Jar. When her longtime friend is murdered outside her business, Hannah teams up with Detective Mike Kingston to help solve the crime. Its 6.7 IMDb rating, paired with a 2.8 Letterboxd score, landed the series' first flick in our No. 8 spot.

"Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" was the 14th and most recent installment of the series, hitting screens in 2026. In the film, Chad Norton is in over his head as prosecutor when his consultant goes missing. Hannah jumps in to help Chad, finding his missing colleague and investigating what's behind the dead body she finds in the process. The latest Hannah Swensen flick currently boasts a 6.7 IMDb score. Paired with its 3.2 score on Letterboxd, it's No. 7 in our ranking.

Every year, some of the best new holiday movies premiere on Hallmark. But, did you know that there's actually a holiday movie featuring Hannah Swensen? That would be the second movie in the series, "Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery," which premiered in 2015. In the midst of a love triangle and the holiday season rush at her bakery, Hannah discovers yet another murder that hits close to home, and of course, she's on the case. The holiday movie currently has an IMDb rating of 6.8 and 2.7 on Letterboxd.

Hannah Swensen fans welcomed the series' fifth movie, "Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts," in 2017. The film follows Hannah as she hosts the Eden Lake Bake-Off semi-finals, where one of the judges is ultimately murdered. Detective Mike Kingston, whom Hannah is in a relationship with at this point, is on the case. He brings Hannah into the investigation, even though, as a fellow judge, there is concern about her safety. At present, the movie has a 6.8 IMDb rating and a 3.0 Letterboxd score, earning it the No. 5 spot in our ranking.

In 2023, "A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" premiered, marking the eighth movie in this series. In it, Hannah and Detective Mike Kingston are in the midst of a fight and aren't on speaking terms — but Hannah can't stay away from her amateur detective work when her mom discovers a dead body, and another murder investigation gets underway. "A Zest for Death" comes in fourth place with a current 6.8 rating on IMDb and a 3.1 score on Letterboxd.

"Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe" became the fourth installment of the series in 2016. In it, the town sheriff is murdered, and Hannah Swensen's brother-in-law is accused of the crime. Hannah goes into full investigation mode with the help of her two love interests. With a current 6.8 IMDb score and a 3.1 Letterboxd score, this movie technically tied with "A Zest for Death." Since it has a score on Rotten Tomatoes, though, that landed it in the top three.

After a four-year hiatus, the "Murder, She Baked" series returned in 2021, formally rebranded as "Hannah Swensen Mysteries" with its sixth film, "Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery." At this point in the story, Hannah and Detective Mike Kingston are now engaged. As they plan their wedding, unsurprisingly, baking and a murder in town get in the way. "Sweet Revenge" lands sweetly in second place with a current 6.9 rating on IMDb and a 3.0 Letterboxd score.

They say "third time's the charm," and such was the case for the Hannah Swensen series. "Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery" became the third film in the series when it premiered in 2016. This time, the murder has fingers pointing at Hannah, herself, as she becomes a suspect. Fans think this installment is peachy keen, tying with No. 2 thanks to its 6.9 IMDb rating and 3.0 Letterboxd score. Since it had a score on Rotten Tomatoes, that broke the tie, earning it the coveted No. 1 title.

If you've watched Hannah Swensen from her "Murder, She Baked" days to the most recent installment of "Hannah Swensen Mysteries," chances are you have a favorite flick from the collection. To get a definitive ranking, however, we opted for something a bit less subjective; we went by the IMDb ratings. 

For movies that tied, we then consulted the Letterboxd scores. We also turned to Rotten Tomatoes to break any additional ties. And on occasions where scores were the same across the board, we simply went in the order of when they premiered. The result is a ranking that solves the great mystery of the best "Hannah Swensen Mysteries," and it's definitely worth consulting if you don't plan to watch them in order. So enjoy as there are baked goods fresh from the oven (and a new case for Hannah to crack!) in every new flick.