Cookie dough comes in all shades and colors, from plain beige sugar cookie dough to vibrantly swirled red and green Christmas cookie dough. The question is, what makes cookie dough turn different colors? Can you take plain cookie dough and dye it other colors? Let’s take a look at what gives cookie dough its color and whether it’s possible to change the color of prepared dough.
What Makes Cookie Dough Different Colors
There are a few main factors that contribute to the color of cookie dough:
- Type of flour – White all-purpose flour makes dough lighter in color while whole wheat flour adds a browner hue.
- Eggs – Egg yolks impart a pale yellow color.
- Brown sugar – The molasses in brown sugar darkens dough compared to dough made with just white sugar.
- Spices and extracts – Spices like cinnamon or extracts like vanilla affect the color slightly.
- Cocoa powder – Cocoa powder can make dough a chocolate brown color.
- Food coloring – Adding drops of food coloring is the easiest way to tint dough bright colors.
The ingredients in a cookie dough recipe directly impact the natural color of the dough. Basic sugar cookie dough made with white flour, butter, sugar, and vanilla will be light beige or off-white. Chocolate chip cookie dough incorporates brown sugar for a tan color. Gingersnap dough gains a muted brown tone from molasses and spices like cinnamon and ginger.
When bakers want to make brightly-colored cookie dough, they typically add food coloring. A couple drops of red, blue, or green food coloring are enough to create richly hued dough. The food coloring mixes directly into the dough to tint it. This is an easy way to make birthday cake cookie dough, Easter egg cookie dough, or Christmas cookie dough in festive colors.
Can You Dye Plain Cookie Dough?
What if you’ve already prepared a batch of plain sugar cookie dough? Can you go back and color it if you want to bake rainbow cookies or decorative cut-out cookies? The short answer is yes, you can absolutely dye prepared cookie dough. There are a couple ways to do it:
- Liquid food coloring – Use drops of liquid food coloring to tint rolled out cookie dough. Add a few drops at a time and knead it into the dough until the color is even. This works best if the dough is still slightly chilled.
- Gel food coloring – Gel food colors are more concentrated than liquid and give vibrant results. Knead a small amount of gel color into a portion of the dough first. Then mix the tinted dough into the rest for even color distribution.
- Powdered food coloring – For convenience, you can use powdered food coloring. Mix the powder little by little right into the dough until it reaches the desired shade.
- Icing colors – In a pinch, you can use liquid food coloring made for icing. Avoid using the paste or gel icing colors as they may leach oil into the dough.
No matter which type of food coloring you use, add it slowly and knead the dough to disperse the color fully. Avoid over-mixing or the dough may become too warm and the food coloring may bleed. Allow the dyed dough to chill for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out.
Tips for Coloring Cookie Dough
Here are some handy tips when coloring cookie dough:
- Use butter, shortening, or egg yolks at room temperature. Cold ingredients make it harder for food coloring to blend in evenly.
- opt for gel food coloring for the boldest, most vibrant colors. You’ll need less compared to liquid food coloring.
- Start with toothpicks when adding food coloring. You can always add more but you can’t take it out once it’s added.
- Knead the dough gently to distribute the color. Over-mixing can cause food coloring to bleed.
- Chill dyed dough 10-15 minutes before rolling and cutting shapes. This prevents food coloring transfer.
- Avoid Clear vanilla extracts or musty flour. Both can dull bright food coloring.
- Wrap and freeze dyed cookie dough if not using right away. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Following these tips will give you perfectly hued cookie dough ready for baking bright decorated sugar cookies, rainbow chocolate chip cookies, or any other fun colored cookie creation!
Best Food Colorings for Tinting Cookie Dough
You have lots of options when it comes to coloring cookie dough. Here are some top picks:
| Type | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Liquid food coloring |
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| Gel food coloring |
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| Powdered food coloring |
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| Icing food coloring |
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Gel food coloring provides the most concentrated color payoff, but liquid and powdered food colors also work well. Just avoid using too much food coloring or the cookie flavor may be affected.
How Much Food Coloring to Add to Cookie Dough
When coloring cookie dough, you want to use the smallest amount of food coloring needed to achieve the desired shade. As a general guideline, here is how much food coloring to use:
- Liquid food coloring – 1-3 drops per 1 lb (450g) of cookie dough
- Gel food coloring – 1/4-1/2 tsp per 1 lb (450g) of cookie dough
- Powdered food coloring – 1/4-1/2 tsp per 1 lb (450g) of cookie dough
Always start with less food coloring first. You can evaluate the color and mix in more as needed. Too much food coloring may result in unappealing color bleeds or a chemical taste. It’s better to gradually increase the amount until you reach the perfect color intensity.
Tinting Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
One of the most popular types of cookies to tint festive colors is chocolate chip cookies. Here are some tips for coloring chocolate chip cookie dough:
- Use butter, not shortening. Butter blends food coloring better than shortening.
- Mix food coloring into the butter first before adding to the rest of the dough.
- Use egg yolks instead of whole eggs. The fat in yolks helps distribute color evenly.
- Stick to gel or powdered food coloring for chocolate chip dough. Liquid food coloring may bleed.
- Knead the dough gently to avoid melting the chocolate chips.
It’s best to color chocolate chip cookie dough in small batches. Take a portion of the plain dough and knead in the food coloring. Then combine the tinted dough pieces together for uniformly vibrant results. Tinted chocolate chip cookie dough makes fun cookies for holidays, birthday parties, baby showers, and more!
How to Bake Colored Cookie Dough
Colored cookie dough bakes up just the same as regular dough. Follow your usual cookie recipe instructions for baking. Here are some tips:
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Colored dough can stick to pots and pans.
- Watch closely during baking. Darker colors like black or brown may cook faster.
- Test for doneness at the minimum bake time. Overbaking could dull the colors.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before handling. Warm cookies may smear color.
- Avoid overcrowding pans. This can cause uneven baking and color bleeds.
Properly colored cookie dough should bake up into perfect colorful cookies. Just be cautious of darker shades cooking faster and any potential color transfer while the cookies are still warm. Letting them cool completely prevents issues with bleeding or smearing.
Storing and Freezing Colored Cookie Dough
Here are some tips for storing leftover colored cookie dough:
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in airtight containers. This prevents drying out and color fading.
- Refrigerate colored dough up to 3-4 days. The food coloring may leach over time, dulling the vibrancy.
- Freeze colored dough up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Divide into portion sizes before freezing. This makes it easy to thaw just what you need.
- Use freezer bags or containers. Avoid foil or wax paper as food coloring can seep into them.
Proper storage keeps colored cookie dough looking freshly vibrant for future baking days. Wrap it up tightly and don’t let it sit too long in the fridge before using it. Freezing is best for long-term storage.
Troubleshooting Food Coloring Bleeding from Cookie Dough
Sometimes food coloring added to cookie dough can bleed or leak, causing an unappetizing muddy color. Here are some tips to avoid bleeding issues:
- Don’t overmix the dough after adding food coloring. Gentle kneading distributes color.
- Make sure dough is chilled before rolling out. Room temperature dough may allow bleeding.
- Use parchment paper. Bleeding is more likely on porous pans or foil.
- Avoid overcrowding the baking sheet. Too close proximity can transfer colors.
- Check for doneness early. Overbaked cookies may run and bleed colors together.
- Let cookies cool completely before moving them. Warm cookies are prone to smearing.
Paying attention to proper food coloring mixing technique and ideal dough temperature prevents most bleeding issues. But even if you do see some color transfer, the cookies will still taste great!
Fun Ideas for Colored Cookie Dough
Colored cookie dough opens a whole world of fun baking opportunities. Here are some great ways to use tinted dough:
- Decorated sugar cookies
- Rainbow chocolate chip cookies
- Tie-dye patterned cookies
- Marbled cookies
- Festive Christmas cookies
- Easter egg shaped cookies
- Halloween ghost or pumpkin cookies
- Birthday cake cookies
- Baby shower duck or elephant cookies
Get creative with colored cookie dough! Tint it to match holidays, occasions, seasons, or just for fun. Decorating with royal icing, sprinkles, and candies takes colored cookies to the next level.
Conclusion
It’s easy and fun to add color to plain cookie dough. A few drops of liquid or gel food coloring, or a sprinkle of powdered food color is all it takes to tint dough any shade you want. Red, blue, green, orange – you name it! Just remember to start with only a small amount of coloring and mix gently to distribute the color evenly. Chilling the dough before rolling prevents any bleeding issues. Then bake and decorate your vibrant cookies however you wish. So go ahead – make cookie dough coloring a new baking tradition!