We want to make christmas short pastry cookies this evening and I can't find the food coloring. So what alternatives can I use to color the dough? Cocoa for brown, and what about other colors? Would be tumeric a good option? Or are there unwanted side effects such as orange hands or a burned taste? 
For redish/orange/yellow color carrots and beets are better option. They are sweet and already used as colouring agents in food so the taste won't be distinct as in turmeric (that in my tries only work well with cinnamon and a lot of it). Beet can also be used in concetration for deepish red and even violet For brown - carmel from sugar. Cocoa and activated charcoal is better to make black color. For blue/violet - berries (skins) or grapes. Green - mint or chlorella For fun (but strange) new taste red onion (it work great with sugar). 