The Problem Fans Have With Ree Drummond's Holiday Cookie Recipe

Few can argue with Ree Drummond's baking skills. According to Design & Living, Drummond understands that this form of cooking requires precision to yield the best results. While she may prefer to cook, she loves baking cinnamon rolls and considers her chocolate sheet cake one of her best recipes. The chef also has some secret ingredients designed to spruce up any winter dessert. Drummond relies on apples with seasonal spices and caramel sauce for the holidays, while a mix of orange marmalade sweet rolls with cranberries can really make the season feel that much more festive, per Food & Wine.

While few can doubt Drummond's holiday baking expertise, one of her holiday cookie recipes didn't fly with fans. Food Network posted the recipe, which currently has 46 reviews. The cookies in question don't appear too controversial at first glance — these traditional sugar cookies come with green icing and cinnamon cordials and don't feature many flavor combinations which are out of the ordinary. Some reviewers took fault with this issue and scathing reviews included entries such as, "I am a HUGE FAN of the Pioneer Woman. I always go to her recipes when I need something to make; however, these cookies were a flop. I followed the directions exactly and they turned out tasting like biscuits," and, "These are really bland and the texture is not enjoyable," to quote a few. 

While home bakers had some issues with the flavor, one key element turned even more reviewers off.

The Food Network recipe turned some bakers off due to the flavor, but even more folks found issues with the preparation techniques. Many had issues getting the cookies together, with reviews ranging from, "Dough was way too sticky. You have to work fast if you want a perfect round shaped cookies. Once dough heats up, its over with," all the way to, "Flavor great however the dough was too sticky. I used flour as directed. I chilled overnight. Not sure what went wrong." One poster also had trouble forming the dough into festive shapes, saying, "This recipe is not good at all for cutouts so sticky, even for normal round cookies it's just meh ... My moms cookies are 100% better, total let down." One cry for help summed up all the criticism — "Can anyone help? My dough was so sticky it stuck to the surface even though I floured it. What should I do next time?"

If you decide to tackle this recipe, keep these gripes in mind. With any luck, you can work past the sticky issues and end up with a great final product. You may need to find your own workarounds for the recipe but if you get the recipe to work, you might just discover your new favorite cookie.