The Pioneer Woman Admits That This Was Her Worst Recipe Ever

I’m sure we can all think of a time a dish just didn’t work—like at all. Maybe it was a mistake that happened because you misread the recipe and used a tablespoon of cayenne pepper instead of a teaspoon (ask me about the Inedibly Spicy Lentil Incident of 2014). It could also be an error due to a lack of cooking experience, like in Bridget Jones’ Diary, where Bridget ties her leeks together with blue string, and the entire soup turns blue.

The Pioneer Woman is not someone who I would put in either category, though. Ree Drummond is the undisputed queen of comfort food and potluck-ready meals, so I was very surprised to learn that she once had a dessert recipe go horribly wrong.

What is the Pioneer Woman’s worst recipe ever?

In an interview on her blog, she recalled the dish that she would never make again: green tea ice cream. She made the dish for a ladies’ investment club luncheon, so maybe she was trying to go on theme with a money-green dessert? Anyway, according to Ree, the dish was a complete mess.

She cut open actual green tea bags and pulverized the tea leaves in a food processor before adding them to her ice cream base. The result was, ahem, pretty unappealing. “It looked like mossy green sludge,” she said. “And I still served it…there were about 23 bowls, and no one ate any of it.” Talk about a rough afternoon!

Now, I’m no Ree, but I think where she went wrong was using the tea from the tea bags. Something that might result in a more vibrant green tea ice cream would be matcha powder. It has a bright green hue that blends better with all kinds of treats, from lattes to cakes. I know she said she would never make it again, but I’m pulling for a redemption!