pumpkin pie macs sitting in a little pumpkin patch

This was my first time trying to colour my macs. I added the powdered dye to the sugar to make the meringue. The colour faded a lot when I was whipping the meringue and even more so when I baked them. Any tips here ??

Otherwise I’m super proud of how they turned out. I made a pumpkin pie buttercream for the filling.