Christmas cookie decorating, hold the artificial colors

Well, it's officially Christmas cookie baking season. And while I now know to look out for things like peanuts and eggs, I was surprised to learn recently just how many kids have sensitivities to artificial colors and food dyes. Then I thought of India Tree, a company we discovered last year that makes utterly gorgeous decorative sugars, sprinkles, and other fancy things all using natural vegetable colors,

The natural colors are all spectacular - vibrant and bold. And this year they've got a new item, a peppermint crunch that gets its color from beets. (And no, it doesn't taste like beets. It tastes like peppermint.) You can also find it in a big bag from Chef Tools if you plan on using a lot.

Is it cheaper to buy some peppermint sticks and whack them? Of course. But trust me, they don't look this beautifully uniform. And they won't make you feel this confident to serve them to the kids in your life with food allergies.  -Liz

Cookie decoratons from India Tree are available at Chef Tools,or specialty markets like Whole Foods

 

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