At the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim last week, lots of gluten-free folks stopped by our booth and tasted our Glutenetto cookies. “How do you get them to taste like the real thing?” they asked. It takes a lot of love and a lot of hard work! Here’s the long and short of it. I am Italian! So when I had to give up gluten and dairy, I also had to give up so many food traditions and memories … [Fernanda of Cookies con Amore and I] talked awhile and she gave me two types of Gluten-Free cookies—Pignoli and Ricciarelli. I carefully put them in my bag and took them home. I knew if they were as good as they looked, I wanted to enjoy every bite in the peace and quiet of my home. They were even better then I could have possibly imagined. They melted in my mouth, bursting with memories and flavors I have not had in years. Why we started our gluten-free cookie line We first got interested in making gluten-free cookies when a friend of the family told us that she was gluten-intolerant. Out of curiosity, head baker and founder Fernanda, tried a gluten-free diet and noticed that she generally felt better. “That made me a true believer,” says Fernanda. “But while I am willing to give up gluten, I’m not willing to give up flavor.” Our objective is to make our Glutenetto cookies taste so good that you won’t miss the wheat. 1. Some of our recipes are naturally gluten-free. Wheat was never a part of the batter for some of our most favorite and traditional Italian cookies. Our Amaretti, Pignoli and Ricciarelli recipes are based on eggs and butter; they are gluten-free without any need for modification. Of course, these cookies need to be baked in a gluten-free certified facility so that there’s no cross-contamination. That’s why we got certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. 2. We adapted some traditional recipes We chose Biscotti for our first gluten-free cookie adaptation. The secret to a good Biscotti is a crunchy and crumbly texture. The cookie should hold together when you dunk it in coffee, but still be edible if you eat without dunking. To produce our signature crunchy, crumbly Biscotti texture, we had to experiment with various combinations of gluten-free flours. In general, we also found that gluten-free dough is more temperamental than wheat based dough and we need to make adjustments to cooking temperature and time to yield the right combination of crunch and crumble. It was a challenge, but we won’t offer a gluten-free version of any cookie unless we can get the texture and flavor just right. We’ll test and try again until it tastes good enough to evoke memories of home. 3. We created some recipes from scratch The Polentine is a crispy cookie made with polenta (corn flour) and rolled with raspberry jam. Although it’s a traditional Tuscan cookie, it’s not made in the traditional way. We created the recipe from scratch to be gluten-free. Because the Polentine is only slightly sweet, it pairs well with a bit of goat cheese and prosciutto. It has become one of our favorites and best sellers. 4. Our facility is certified gluten-free by the GFCO It wasn’t enough to make gluten-free versions of our cookies. We also felt strongly that we needed our baking facility to be certified gluten-free by the GFCO. It’s a rigorous process that includes annual inspections, regular product testing and continuous ingredient reviews. We’re happy to do it so that everyone can enjoy our cookies! Have Questions or Ideas about our Glutenneto cookies? We’d love to discuss in the comments below! Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Email Reader InteractionsComments elizabeth Giordano zoebelein says October 9, 2014 at 11:21 pm I live in Glen Head, NY 11545 can you please tell me where I can purchase your cookies, especially “noonie” they are wonderful. Can you share any recipes ? Thanks in advance for your assistance. elizabeth Reply Dominique Capraro says October 17, 2014 at 6:41 pm Hello Elizabeth, Thank you for your interest in our cookies. The nonnie are To Live For! G-Free NYC carries a nice selection of our products. Here is the address and website: 77A West 85th Street (between Columbus & CPW) New York, NY 10024 and http://g-freenyc.com/ You can also purchase our proprietary flour we use to bake the Nonnie. If you are interested, please let us know Ciao, Cookies Con Amore Reply Janet Bartoletti Forster says January 30, 2021 at 9:45 am I love your cookies! The biscotti are my favorite and I am so excited when I am able to find them. I usually purchase them at Home Goods. Thank you for making a delicious treat for those of us on a gluten free diet. Please keep up the fabulous baking. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Name * Email * Website Comment *
elizabeth Giordano zoebelein says October 9, 2014 at 11:21 pm I live in Glen Head, NY 11545 can you please tell me where I can purchase your cookies, especially “noonie” they are wonderful. Can you share any recipes ? Thanks in advance for your assistance. elizabeth Reply
Dominique Capraro says October 17, 2014 at 6:41 pm Hello Elizabeth, Thank you for your interest in our cookies. The nonnie are To Live For! G-Free NYC carries a nice selection of our products. Here is the address and website: 77A West 85th Street (between Columbus & CPW) New York, NY 10024 and http://g-freenyc.com/ You can also purchase our proprietary flour we use to bake the Nonnie. If you are interested, please let us know Ciao, Cookies Con Amore Reply
Janet Bartoletti Forster says January 30, 2021 at 9:45 am I love your cookies! The biscotti are my favorite and I am so excited when I am able to find them. I usually purchase them at Home Goods. Thank you for making a delicious treat for those of us on a gluten free diet. Please keep up the fabulous baking. Reply