Black Food Color

I always use a combination of the Americolor gel black and dark cocoa powder.  I haven't had any trouble getting a true, dark black but it is definitely a good idea to make it ahead of time and let it sit so that it will have time to darken and you don't need to add as much coloring.  Too much black gel food coloring can be very bitter - that is why I like to add the cocoa powder.  Good luck!

Thank you so much for your answer.  I would never have thought of the cocoa powder.  I'm fairly new at this and quite intimidated by all the fabulous work.

I have only been doing this about 1.5 years and am always in awe of the fabulous work that I see - it can be quite intimidating.  I would love to see your tuxedo cookies so I hope that you post pics after you make them.

Sometimes I will used a base color first, like blue (a darker shade) and then add my black as you will need less black gel. Hope that helps!

Hi DianeS!  I am also new at this (and also VERY intimidated by all the fabulously Awesome work!), but I recently read a post on LilaLoa's Blog (Georganne), I'm not sure if she's on Cookie Connection, but she is soo Awesome!  Check out her post on getting black icing...I haven't tried it myself, but when it comes from one of the masters..where can you go wrong!   Have a beautiful night!

 

http://www.lilaloa.com/

I use Chefmaster liqua-gel coloring and I can usually get a very dark black. However, the icing darkens considerably as it dries, so my icing only ever looks dark grey when it's freshly mixed and wet. Even so, I need to use a fair bit of color.

 

That said, I like the idea of mixing in cocoa powder (as Kelly said) or airbrushing on black when larger cookie areas are going to be black, because that way I can get away with less food coloring.

BTW, I moved this topic under Recipe Rescue/Icing Issues, as it relates more to getting the right icing color and icing than it does to suppliers of decorating products.

One word of caution is to be careful not to add too much cocoa as it can make your RI a tad chalky. It does really help with achieving the deep black though. I always mix mine a day or two in advance and do the same thing that Julia does and airbrush over a gray in order to use less black in my RI. You can also achieve nice shading with this.

This is great info, I'm new to this as well....Kelly mentioned "Dark cocoa", is that a distinct product? I'm used to just grabbing a can not paying attention to a particular type.  I'm also curious as to whether the cocoa powder has fat in it and if it affects how th RI dries.

I use Hershey's Dark cocoa which is much darker in color (and has a more robust chocolate flavor) than regular cocoa.  I would recommend breaking up the lumps very well before adding it - I don't go so far as to sift but I like to run a mini whisk through it.  I have never had trouble with consistency other than getting it too thick which is fixed by a little more water or corn syrup.

I am so happy with all the comments.  Now I'm looking forward to trying them.  I don't want to buy an airbrush system right now.  Does the cans of spray color work over the RI?  ( I don't even know if the cans come in a black!)

 

Oops.  Too late.  I just ordered the black gel and the black spray plus I found a 4inch tuxedo cookie cutter that was just the size I needed to match my wedding gown.  When I get everything I will post a picture (only if it comes out okay.)

I didn't have luck with cocoa for some reason. I tend to make a fluffy royal and it sort of fell on me.
Now I make a thick royal and add enough color to make it a dark gray. I leave it overnight. You want it a little thick so it doesn't seperate. This is my trick. I freeze leftover icing right in the bag and each time it thaws, the color deepens. So you get a rich, deep black without the icky taste of food coloring. Every third or so thaw, I add a little fresh, thick royal and a tsp more coloring. I also add a half tsp of corn syrup and it helps prevent bleeding and the dry crumble black can get sometimes. Also, if you use a fan to set up your icing, you can get wet on wet with no bleeding.
I've also thinned down black food coloring with Vodka and painted cookies with it. It's a way to get around not having an airbrush and you don't get black mouth.

Wow there are so many things to think about.  I'm glad I have time to "play".  The wedding isn't until the end of September.

Be careful about how much black you use on the surface of tue icing, as it can rub off. At the very least, expect dark teeth and lips, lol. Not the best for someone in a white wedding dress. Letting the icing sit for at least a day or two after adding the color makes a dramatic difference, is so much darker and richer. I try to do that for all my dark or deep colors.