Candy melts and food coloring do not mix. I will be buying the color I want next time. I tried to color some white candy melts with royal blue icing (Duff's), and it congealed into a hardened play-dough like substance. Completely unpourable. This is something I didn't know but now I do!

americolor sells a product that you can use where you can take food coloring and use it with candy melts. Sorry I can't remember the name of the product. But I do know Global Sugar Art sells it.

Also if you use food coloring made for candy, which is oil based, it will not seize up. You used food coloring that was water based. And water and chocolate do not mix, as you found out.

Americolor Flo-Coat. Just found this amazing stuff not long ago, sure has cut down on the cost of buying each individual color. It can be purchased through many different places. I order mine from CKProducts.

There is a big difference between food coloring for candy and 'regular' paste/jel colors.
As was mentioned candy colors are oil-based so they won't give you the results you experienced using 'regular' food coloring.
Nothing wrong with buying the already colored candy melts but sometimes the color/shade is not what you want Using candy colors will work just fine.

I guess it depends on what you want the candy for. Modeling chocolate? Or to dip cake balls in? If you are making molding chocolate, you can color it with gels colors after it's set without any trouble. The only time it might get a little ick is if you have a small piece you want to color dark and have to put lots of color in.

i buy candymelts by the box load but am going to switch from buying every color to just white. I read a womans post on another forum who just buys white melts and uses the oil based colors to create the colors she wants, int he shade she wants, and amount she wants. makes so much sense! especially when you quickly run out of 'pink melts' and have 4 bags of orange melts you never know when youre gonna use!

I've used the gel colors for modeling chocolate, but I add the color int the corn syrup first. It's worked realy well so far. Any time I've tried to paint or knead it in, it's not absorbed and ends up being a sticky mess. I would love to find that Americolor product though! Wonder if Hobby Lobby might have it since they carry Americolor. Hmmm. I may have to check that out this week. I'm starting my daughters birthday cake and that would be handy.