Does anyone know if I can use Wilton food coloring paste in white candy melts? Do I really have to buy the special candy color or can I just use the kind I use for icing?

I think you need a special coloring agent. The cake colors contain water and that will make the chocolate seize. Then again, let's see what everyone wlse has to say.

I have heard of people using the water based pastes in a pinch and in very small amounts with good results... but Bulldog is right! Candy melts are an oil based product so it would be better to use the coloring made for oil based candy.If you use a large amount to color white melts they will become chunky and seize.

When coloring chocolate you need to use oil based coloring agents or like Bulldog said the chocolate will seize
If you've ever tried to melt chocolate and it seized it's usually because water has somehow gotten into it. i.e spatula wasn't quite dry or bowl wasn't quite dry or water somehow splashed into it etc. If that happens just add a small amt of HOT cream and it will unseize

Thanks for the advice! I have had candy melts seize in the past when a bit of water splashed into them. It was a mess and I had to throw it all out. I'm glad you told me about the warm cream idea, sounds yummy too.

I have used the gel paste when I was in a bind - check my Mario Bros. cake with the chocolate transfers. I only used it for one color, I believe it was for the green. The only problem was that the color was not uniform and smooth - it looked kind of speckled. But since it was for such a small area of space, it wasn't noticeable really and worked fine. I wouldn't use it though for a larger amount. It just wouldn't be very pretty, in my opinion.