Color bleeding

Color bleeding happens when one color "bleeds" into the another once dry, i.e. it stains the area around. This is particularly the case with contrasting colors laid on pale/white background. It happens because icing is too thin and/or has too much food coloring, among other reasons.

Below you can see typical examples of dark colors bleeding onto white background.

Coor bleeding on cookies

How to prevent color bleeding?

  1. Don't applytoo thin a flood consistency icing; choose a medium consistency flood instead of a very loose one. If your icing is too runny, your colors will tend to seep more, especially if you’re layering a dark color onto a light one.
  2. Use the same consistency in each color; mismatched consistencies react differently to each other.
  3. Don't oversaturate your icing by adding too much food coloring. Allow the colors to develop: your icing color will darken with time - what's more it continues to darken even after you pipe it onto your cookies. Dye your icing at least a few hours in advance (especially in case of deep colors like black or red).
  4. Put your freshly decorated cookie to a dehydrator as fast as possible. Let your icing dry completely before adding next layers on it (see also Drying section).

  5. If your design allows it, make RI transfers in advance or use edible marker/paints (see also Nice-to-haves section).