Red and Green Sugar

Does anyone know where I can get red and green sugar for Christmas cookies?  Two years ago I got them at Waitrose. Last year I didn't make cookies and this year they don't have them, at least by me.

I've never seen it available here - around me anyway.  I am going to try & experiment with making my own...to see if it's possible without completely dissolving all the sugar in the liquid food color.

i bought some at a specialty shop this sunday......it came in a Wilton cookie decorating kit. had 4 tiny cookie cutters and 6 different sprinkles in them.......i paid about 20. gpb for it.......

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=CE55636C-802D-F658-0B08B32B0771BB75&fid=CE55638C-802D-F658-019E6149B18EF6B7


This is it!

Amazon has some things in stock!!

No reason you can't make it yourself.  You can do it with store bought red food colouring and the coarsest white sugar you can find, but you won't get that brilliant red.  I've found it turns out a sort of pastel red, not pink but pastel red is the best description I can think of.  I coloured mine in a plastic bag then spread it thinly on a baking sheet on the lowest temperature on the oven to dry it out.

This year I've bought colouring in a paste for my royal icing.  Since it's not liquid, I'm pretty certain I'll get more a more intense red without the wetness of store bought liquid colours, plus I shouldn't have to dry it out first.

Sounds a bit of a faff to do (with the drying out & all), and unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time (nor time to order anything at this point).  Was wondering if you could buy the paste food coloring here or not, so will have to keep my eyes out for it in the future.

I bought some multi-colored candy sprinkles, some silver balls & some chocolate sprinkles -- plus the food coloring for the icing so will have to make do with all that.

The coloured sugar only took a couple of minutes to mix up, onto parchment, in the oven for 30-60 minutes.  Done.

Yes, you can get the paste and gels over here.  Lots of places online, but I was lucky enough to have a cake shop nearby and was able to get it from there.  Even got some of the colour mist so I can lay a background colour down before piping.

Thanks everyone!  I may try and order that Wilton sugar.  If I don't get it in time, I'll try the baking, if my toddler will give me the time!

I bought Betty Crocker icing and food coloring.  I'm making Martha Stewart's cookie recipe iwth my Christmas cookie cutters - when, I don't know!  In the next day or so.  They may not look like a picture postcard, but they're yummy!

No reason you can't make it yourself.  You can do it with store bought red food colouring and the coarsest white sugar you can find, but you won't get that brilliant red.  I've found it turns out a sort of pastel red, not pink but pastel red is the best description I can think of.  I coloured mine in a plastic bag then spread it thinly on a baking sheet on the lowest temperature on the oven to dry it out.

This year I've bought colouring in a paste for my royal icing.  Since it's not liquid, I'm pretty certain I'll get more a more intense red without the wetness of store bought liquid colours, plus I shouldn't have to dry it out first.

I use the pastes and the colours turn out wonderful.  I've had great success with them too for making coloured sugar.  I just finished icing a fruitcake and I lightly damped the top and sprinkled red and green sugar on it - looks really good!

The coloured sugar only took a couple of minutes to mix up, onto parchment, in the oven for 30-60 minutes.  Done.

Heeeee!  I had only one hour this morning to ice & decorate the cookies, hoover & clean the bathroom before pittpanther turned up at my house, so at least this time -- 30-60 minutes was waaaay too long!

I use the pastes and the colours turn out wonderful.  I've had great success with them too for making coloured sugar.  I just finished icing a fruitcake and I lightly damped the top and sprinkled red and green sugar on it - looks really good!

That's good to hear, Hopster.  Haven't run across anyone trying paste with sugar yet.  Met loads of Brit ladies who say the paste is great for royal icing, but no feedback on sugar.  Good to know though.  Looking forward to trying it this weekend.

Later edit:  Just had to try it.  Mind, all I had was natural sugar (kinda tannish rather than brown or white).  Popped a bit in the bag with a drop of paste colour --- RICH RED SUGAR!  Yay!  It's a tad wetter than I expected, but no where near as wet as with liquid colourings.  I could probably leave it on my counter for a bit and it would be ready to go.

And here's a quick piccie.  Excuse the quality, off the mobile phone.