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    Home » Dessert Recipes » Homemade Candy

    Tips on how to use edible ink food coloring markers to draw on foods.

    Published: Aug 20, '12 · Modified: Sep 7, '17 · By: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Looking for a fun and simple way to have fun with your kids? Try using Edible Ink Food Coloring to draw fun pictures on your treats, and let your kids use their artistic skills!

    Quite a few of you have written to me to ask how I get my edible ink food coloring markers to work so well.  Certain food are more difficult to draw on, but by following the tips I've suggested below, you'll be able to use the edible ink markers on so many different types of food including chocolate, Pop Tarts, Airheads Taffy, Necco Wafers, marshmallows, caramel, and even cheese.

    Tips to get your food coloring markers to work ...

    Store your markers properly.

    Always store your food coloring markers upside down so the tip

    doesn't dry out.

    Add food coloring to a dried out marker tip.

    If you are drawing on some food and are getting streaks instead of a nice even color, you can

    fill a small bowl with liquid food coloring that matches the color of your edible ink marker.

    Dip the tip of your marker in the food coloring, allowing the coloring to soak up into the tip.

    Then, tap the marker allowing any excess coloring to fall off the tip.

    Continue to draw on your food until you get streaks again,

    then repeat the process.

    Refill your edible ink marker with more food coloring.

    If your edible ink food coloring marker has dried out, don't throw it away, you can refill it.

    Use tweezers to get the plug out of the end of the marker.

    Tip the marker over and allow the coloring insert to drop out (tap the marker if needed.)

    Put the insert in a small bowl filled with food coloring.

    Allow it to soak up the food coloring for at least 15 minutes.

    Place the insert back into the marker.

    Put the plug back in also.

    Allow the edible ink marker to set with the tip side down for at least 15 minutes

    in order for the new coloring to permeate the tip.

    Have fun drawing on food!

    My exchange student and I did indeed have fun drawing all of these things:

    a monkey on caramel,

    smiley faces on yellow Necco Wafers,

    a bunny and a ghost on marshmallows,

    "Hungry Happenings" on a watermelon Airhead,

    a pumpkin on a cheese sandwich,

    "Love" on some pink modeling chocolate,

    and

    a cup of coffee on a Pop Tart.

    I hope these tips will help you, so that you can create fun food too.

    Products used to make this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth
    Beth
    Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth
    Latest posts by Beth (see all)
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    1. Laurie

      June 13, 2022 at 8:32 am

      Help! I just got a last minute order for cake pops. She wants them to look like baseballs. Is there a marker that goes on chocolate? I’m not steady handed to do royal icing or choc. TIA!!

      Reply
      • Beth

        June 13, 2022 at 2:47 pm

        Hi Laurie,

        I prefer using Americolor Food Pens but Wilton's markers work well too. You can see that I used red food coloring markers to decorate white chocolate baseballs here - https://hungryhappenings.com/white-chocolate-baseballs-peanut-butter-fudge/
        I also used them to decorate modeling chocolate covered Rice Krispie treat baseballs here - https://hungryhappenings.com/white-chocolate-baseballs-peanut-butter-fudge/

        Use the tips in this tutorial and your baseballs will turn out great.

        Reply
    2. Maureen

      August 01, 2021 at 11:06 am

      How long do the americolor markers take to dry if you use them for tracing under a cookie you are going to royal ice

      Reply
      • Beth

        August 01, 2021 at 7:12 pm

        I'd give the ink at least 30 minutes to dry on the surface of a cookie.

        Reply
    3. Melissa Maracle

      April 28, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      Will red or yellow show up on black royal icing??? I need to write names on them!
      TIA

      Reply
      • Beth

        May 07, 2019 at 8:14 am

        I do not think it will show up very well unless your royal icing is more gray than black but I'm not positive. I have not tried writing on black icing.

        Reply
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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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