I made some tool cookies this past week for my sons birthday party using a royal icing recipe I found online. Everything turned out great, but as people were eating them they're mouth turned colors (all gray and black icing). I know too much color can cause bitter taste- any recommendations to avoid the color issue in the future, or is that normal with trying to get a dark color?
My daughters' birthday is coming up and I know she'll want me to make more but I don't want to spend the time if no one (besides her) is going to eat them!
for black -- start with a chocolate royal icing (sift cocoa powder into icing and mix), then add just a little bit of black color until you have a gray, then cover icing airtight and let it rest for many hours so it develops (darkens). if after several hours the color is still light gray, add just a little more black and let it rest again. you will use far less coloring this way and prevent purple mouth and bitter taste. please remember royal icing will darken even more as it dries.
whenever I make black I use americolor superblack gel until I have a dark gray royal icing (after several hours of rest), then I pipe/flood with the dark gray and once it dries it is black.
since I can't post a picture directly into this reply, please see my gallery for cookies with black accents...
http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/3293178/halloween-pumpkins
you can use black cocoa powder in there to make black which is available online at amazon and king arthur flour --
you could color your pieces with americolor edible ink gourmet writers also available at amazon and lots of cake places including your local cake store probably -- so you'd ice them white and then color over --
a couple more options to add to virago's great post
Quote by @-K8memphis on 1 hour ago
you can use black cocoa powder in there to make black which is available online at amazon and king arthur flour --
you could color your pieces with americolor edible ink gourmet writers also available at amazon and lots of cake places including your local cake store probably -- so you'd ice them white and then color over --
a couple more options to add to virago's great post
@-K8memphis is offering solid advice...
fyi -- Hersheys makes a Special Dark Cocoa powder (a blend of natural cocoa and dutch processed) that is widely available at just about any grocery store. it produces a darker/grayer color then regular cocoa, but will still need a bit of black coloring.
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