The NYC Guide to Gluten Free Cookies
We love our gluten free cookies in NYC! Well, we love ALL cookies, and in this melting pot of many cultures, there are many culinary traditions all across our five boroughs. One of the best things about living here is the easy access to a wide variety of cuisines around every corner! So what cookies are gluten free? If you’re looking for a bakery with gluten free options in NYC, you may be surprised to find that these iconic favorites are naturally gluten free cookies:
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Macaroons
Ask your Bubbe: coconut macaroons are naturally gluten-free! Traditionally, egg whites are used as the raising agent in macaroons, rather than flour. Because they are unleavened, macaroons are traditional and popular gluten free desserts in NYC during Passover. For Passover, Jewish New Yorkers avoid eating any leavened bread such as challah, which is not gluten-free. Macaroons are a staple of Jewish cuisine, and made Tablet Magazine’s 100 Most Jewish Foods list. Store-bought or homemade, dipped in chocolate or just as they are, however you enjoy them, traditional coconut macaroons are gluten free cookies!
Pignoli cookies
Pinolate, or pignoli, are essentially almond macaroons. These traditional Italian cookies use egg whites as the raising agent, just like macaroons, so when made according to the traditional manner, are naturally gluten-free cookies! Pignoli cookies are a staple in Italian-American cookie trays, especially at the Christmas holiday, and are famously the favorite cookie of New Jersey Real Housewife Teresa Giudice. The almond paste gives the cookie a rich wholesome flavor and the pine nuts a savory crunch. A staple of Italian-American bakeries, these are a classic NYC gluten free dessert!
Mandelhörnchen
Mandelhörnchen, or “almond horns,” are a naturally gluten-free German cookie made with almond paste. New York City is home to a large German community, from the Lower East Side to the Upper East Side, and the German culinary influence is visible in every hot dog stand on an NYC street corner. Mandelhörnchen are typically a Christmas cookie, a crescent of mostly marzipan leavened with egg white, rolled in almonds and dipped in chocolate at the ends. Festive and naturally gluten free cookies to munch on alongside your glühwein this winter holiday season!
Macarons
Who remembers the Millennial Macaron Mayhem? These French sandwich cookies sparked a massive trend in NYC right around the time we were all Instagramming our food. It’s no wonder: the plethora of pastel hues are totally photogenic and, according to the traditional recipe, totally gluten-free! Macarons use almond flour just like all of the above cookies - almond flour seems to be the best gluten free flour for cookies! The simplicity of the macaron lends itself to innovation and creativity, so you can find macarons in a plethora of cutting-edge flavors – a gluten free dessert as trendy as NYC itself!
If you’re looking for the best gluten free cookies in NYC, you have to try The Good Batch Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie! If you know, you know tahini is gluten free, savory and luscious, and makes our gluten free take on the classic chocolate chip cookies moist and crave-worthy. Available in many retailers around the city and right at our bakery in Brooklyn, this gluten free and vegan chocolate chip cookie balances sweet melty chocolate, rich, earthy tahini, and a dusting of salt that will satisfy all of your taste buds and leave you wanting more. They might even lead you to our shop to check out more of our gluten free and vegan selections.
