Those of you who have been here before may already know this, but I have a thing for drawing on food with edible writers. Particularly marshmallows. See? HERE. I came up with this idea almost two years ago in the midst of a housing search when our belongings were in storage, we were living in temporary housing, and then we went through a kitchen renovation. Marshmallow art is so quick, easy, kid-friendly, versatile and oven-free, so it was perfect for our transient life at the time.
Edible markers, gourmet writers, food writers, food coloring pens… the many different terms are just as confusing as the many different brands. This post is all about food writers: what brands to buy, where to buy ‘em and what you can do with them. Food writers are markers that have edible ink, NOT to be confused with “candy writers” that you find in the craft store. Those come in tubes. I don’t use those.
Americolor Gourmet Writers, set of ten. These are my favorite writers. They have good flow and are easy to use. You can get finer detail by using the tips and cover thicker areas by using the sides more. If you only buy one set of writers, buy these. The Americolor site doesn’t sell directly, but you can buy these on amazon.com, sugarcraft.com and many other online sites.
FooDoodler. My next most-used writers are the FooDoodler Fine Line set of ten. The fine line is even finer than the Americolor Gourmet Writers and I use this a lot for very fine detail. FooDoodler also carry thicker markers, which are good (here), but I rarely use those, only because I draw such small things. If you don’t need a super-fine line, then they work well. The perfect combination of markers–if you buy two sets–are the Americolor Gourmet Writers with the FooDoodler fine line set. You can buy FooDoodlers at their site, and at sugarcraft.com.
KopyKake pens. The set of KopyKake pens are also quite good. They have two ends, one thick and one fine, which is great. The fine end gives the same detail as the fine line FooDoodlers, so I love them. The other big bonus? The set has two greens, including a lime green. I use lime green a lot, and I miss this with the other sets above. The down side to these? I feel like the flow is a little dry and they run out of ink more quickly. Find KopyKake pens at the KopyKake site and at sugarcraft.com.
FoodWriters. I’m a fan of all Wilton‘s products, of course, though I use their FoodWriters the least. They are good writers and have a good flow, but the tips are a bit thick for the detail I like to draw. However, the pros: they are widely available in most major craft stores, they come in a variety including lime green (yay), and they are great for kids. When my 3-year old decorates marshmallows, I give her the FoodWriters. You can buy them on the Wilton site, in craft stores, or on amazon. The sets are smaller, so you end up needing to buy a couple different sets. I’m partial to the “neon” colors.
- marshmallows
- fondant (roll out and cover cookies, cupcakes or cakes with fondant and draw away, or if you make dimensional designs, use writers for the details)
- royal icing that has been flooded and left to dry overnight
- candy melts. Yes, you can use edible writers with candy melts that have hardened, but the writers do react with the fats in the melts and don’t work quite as smoothly as the above. If you’ve tried making cake pops, dipped them in candy melts, then tried to draw on them, you may have experienced this. I suggest markers with good flow, like the Americolor Gourmet Writers, use the tips of the markers and use them sparingly for small details like dots for eyes.
- buttercream frosting. Frosting won’t harden fully, and the bumps and grooves make this a bad surface for writers.
- Let your surface dry well before using the writers. Let marshmallows sit out a couple hours first to stiffen a bit, and let the fondant do the same. You must let flooded royal icing sit overnight before using.
- Don’t try and layer colors, unless it’s for effect (like in my spring flower marshmallows above). The bottom color will show through. Only black will cover other colors, so I usually outline with black last.
- When switching colors, let the first color set about ten minutes so you don’t accidentally pick up another color with your marker and to prevent bleeding.
Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!
29 Comments
Thanks for that comprehensive list! I've tried the Americolor before and didn't have a whole lot of success. However I think I was trying it on candy melts.
This is a great resource!
I'm a big fan of your drawing on food ideas and how-to's! Keep 'em coming!
Hey!! I have had a little trouble with bleeding when I use the black pens(americolor and moorland brands) on a cookie flooded with royal icing that has dried overnight.. And not from pushing too hard and puncturing the icing… I am in Memphis and it's very humid here… Any suggestions?? Thanks!! Laurie aka Whimsy Cookie Co.
Sorry.. Using my iPhone.. kopykake brand Laurie whimsy cookie
Thanks for this post- I need some better pens than the ones I have and this will be really useful!
Laurie, is the bleeding happening right away? Or does it seep into the icing? I would try leaving your flooded cookie to dry for 2 days (agree that humidity can be a big culprit), even with a fan on them, also, I would try using less water when you flood. My flooded icing is thicker than most flooders use b/c I really think water causes a lot of problems beyond marker bleeding (like splotchy icing). But that's just a guess!
Great post. When I make my Hello Kitty cookies I use a black marker,I do use very little water when I flood them and I have never had any issues the markers.
Yes! lol … I like the refresher course, might just have to do some food "drawing" this weekend!
Cheers,
SL
Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave in the Cooking category today [07 Jun 12:00am GMT]. Thanks, Maria
I am glad the one set I do have is your favorite…but of course now I want them all!
I think everyone should own them all, and your faves are pretty much mine, reverse the Wilton and KopyKake. WODERFUL WONDERFUL post!
you had me at edible….but seriously I owe you a lot of fun times here at the Shamp ranch. Sophia and I have had so much fun with drawing on food inspiration that we find here. Can't really thank you enough. One of the TOP things Sophia wanted to do this summer was have a draw on food day with her buds. That is cool.
Geez, throw in making a kid happy and put me over the moon!
You are a pioneer at drawing on food! Thanks for the great post and your never-ending great ideas!
Excellent tips as usual – I'm glad the set I've got ranks highest on your list:)
Thanks for the informative post. I have yet to dive into edible pens, so this was so helpful!
Ooo….I've never even SEEN the KopyKake ones! You mean, I need MORE cookie stuff? The answer always seems to be "Yes!"
I like using the the pens to draw of the fruit tingles lollies you can see what I men on my Facebook page. Thanks for the tips.
Trish from Sweetology 101 sent me over here after I lamented to her about my inability to use an edible marker. I will be sending for some new markers ASAP. Thanks!
Lisa
Aw, Trish is the best!
have forever wanted to try with my rubber stamps….
will have to get a set..
I heard about painting candy color with alcohol works too. Have you tried this before? And if so what type of alcohol and candy colors? Thanks!
Hi Vicki,
Yes, you can use food coloring as paint and dip your brush in alcohol instead of water so the surface doesn’t become soggy (as the alcohol evaporates)… though I actually use water instead of alcohol and have had no problem, even on fondant, since I use water sparingly. But I’ve also used a bit of vodka or clear vanilla extract and it works.
I am wondering if I can use Staedtler Noris Club markers on my food, it says they are made with food coloring but I haven’t seen any example of someone using these on food online. Do you think they would work and especially would they not make people sick? It says non-toxic. Thanks!
Hi Natinha! Unless the markers are specifically for food, made with food coloring, I wouldn’t use them on edibles even if they say non-toxic. Unless of course, the food is for decoration only and not to be eaten! Oh, what a wonderful world if we could, though, given the detail you could achieve with real markers!
Hi Meaghan, very informative post! I recently tried my hand at cake pops. I’d planned to paint designs on them after the candy melt coating had set. But the paint wouldn’t stay on … it just kind of separated and formed individual droplets. I used a standard Wilton gel paste, tried diluting it with lemon juice first, and then just the paste by itself, but it didn’t work. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Shalom,
Yep, I know exactly what you mean. Some surfaces take the food coloring-as-paint (you can also dilute a bit with alcohol, vodka is best, as it evaporates, though I just use a couple drops of water). For example, fondant that has stiffened a bit and royal icing that has totally dried takes food coloring paint very well. But candy melts don’t. There are just too many oils/fats in them. It’s also difficult to use an edible writer on cake pops dipped in candy melts, though it can be done, as evidenced by the jillions of cake pops online that have been decorated with edible writers. When I draw on cake pops, I use a good edible writer (such as Americolor Gourmet Writers), draw on them sparingly (such as just dots for eyes or a smile), and use the tip of the marker. If you want to TRY painting on cake pops with food coloring, the craft store carries another Wilton brand of food coloring called candy colors. They come in sets of 4 in little tubs that look like the concentrated gel pastes, but it’s special food coloring for chocolate and candy melts that don’t react with the fats. I’ve not tried to paint on chocolate or candy melts with it, but if any food coloring works at all, that would be it.
Hope this helps! Thanks!
Have you tried the new Wiltons Food-Writers that are specially designed to work on their candy melts? I would appreciate your opinion on them. Do they truly work well on the candy melts? Do they work on the fondant and marshmallows, like the normal food writers? Any light you can shed on the subject would be fantastic.
Wait, Wilton has new food writers that work on candy melts??? I’ve GOT to try them. I haven’t. My guess would be they would work on fondant and marshmallows, too. I’ll see if I can find some and try them. Thanks for the tips!