I am having trouble with red!!! I searched the whole site for tips on making dark red icing but the darn search feature isn't easy for me to use.

Anyway, I made some of Alice's cookie icing and could onlyget it to turn orangey-red after lots of no-taste red and some Christmas red. It's been in the fridge a week and is still orangey-red.

Now I want to make a dark red glace and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for me. I read about americolor powders, but don't have a store nearby to buy some.

Thanks,

Kelly

Hi Kelly,
Whenever I make red I tint the icing a nice hot pink first and then put in the red. You don't have to use as much red and it turns out really well. That is how I did the red on Papa Smurf in my photos. It will get even darker after it has set awhile, even if you put it right on the cake. I do this in my regular buttercream but I imagine it would work just as well in the cookie icing.
HTH,
Heather

I just made red for pointsettias. I had to use a large sized Christmas red gel food coloring (the whole bottle) and then I just added a little tiny bit of black. Get it mixed up really good and if you need more black add just a little at a time, be careful though it doesn't take more than like a pin drop at a time or all your icing will turn black.