One of the most maddening challenges we face as cookie bakers is color bleed. I have tried to completely dry colors before introducing more colors, outsmart the cookie by getting the colors as close as possible without touching, and even going back over the design with more frosting trying to hide the fact that colors are territorial and they tend to bleed. Most people look at that adorable cookie and are so impressed by the design that has been created, that they don't scrutinize whether or not the colors are bleeding. But we do. As cookiers, we have high expectations so we are the most critical of our own work. It has been reported and not denied that cuss words have been uttered while boxing up the edible artwork the morning after you finished creating your beautiful cookies.
There is no shortage of opinions on why the colors bleed. Everybody has one. Blah blah blah humidity.....blah blah blah drying time.... blah blah blah white before colors.....blah blah blah mix two days ahead......blah blah blah blue. NO matter which reason you believe, the fact remains that colors will bleed, especially if you live in a humid climate and especially if you are using Americolor Blue or colors that are blue derivatives.
First, if your colors bleed, it is not because you are doing something wrong. It is because colors are territorial. I recently discovered a tip that helps a lot.
Mix Americolor white in your mixing bowl for all the frosting you make before coloring it.
I was skeptical at first because I was not a super fan of bright white....until now. I mixed up a big bowl of white frosting and then added the white. I divided the bowl and mixed my colors, trying out blue first since it is the worst offender. I added white onto a dry blue cookie. Surprisingly, the white did not soak up the blue. I even experimented with blue and white wet on wet and had the same luck. Then I tried it with brown, gray and purple and was pleased.
I cannot guarantee it will work every time in every circumstance because this is still the south and there is nothing we can do about humidity. However, I have found and extra measure of success with adding white so I thought I would share it with you. Americolor white is available in the online store.