Going Gluten-Free Never Tasted So Sweet

Happy New Year! What was your resolution? A more and more common New Years' resolution over the years has been to go gluten-free. Over 18 million people in the U.S. have gluten sensitivity, and 30% of American’s avoid it, with that number growing every year. Food companies have caught up, too, starting to adapt their food to have gluten-free options. There’s never been a better time to go gluten-free than 2022.

Nikkolette’s Macarons has always been GF, but so have macarons. All it takes to make a macaron is egg whites, sugar, and almonds (and Nikkolette’s mathematical precision, of course.) No wheat or gluten needed. They’re the original gluten-free treat!

We’re so accustomed to desserts using wheat flour that it’s hard to imagine one not using it on purpose. We might be biased toward wheat flour, but the nuns who created macarons weren’t. Macarons are made with almond flour to give them a hint of nutty flavor and create that great shell for that satisfying texture when you bite into it.

So, why don’t we make macarons with wheat flour? Well, for starters, the batter isn’t very fun to work with. It gets gummy and isn’t ideal for pipping onto the pan in the cute little circles we all love. Almond flour and meringue are the best combo for pipping because it makes the batter thick and smooth.

Another problem is that all-purpose flour macarons are basically tasteless. It's more of a bland bite with a soft, fall-apart texture. The shells become wrinkly instead of smooth and don’t have the same satisfying texture as a nut-based macaron.

We could avoid using flour altogether, but then we’d just have a meringue cookie.

While gluten-full foods adapted to be gluten-free are a step in the right direction, we can always tell the difference because of the taste and texture. If you bring gluten-free pizza to a party, people who don’t have that dietary restriction will definitely miss the wheat flour based pizza.

That’s the great thing about macarons: they are the original gluten-free option, and you don’t miss out on the wheat flour. We have gluten-free brides order them all the time for receptions because they don’t need a separate dessert for GF and non-GF guests. Everyone loves them, and everyone can eat them!

If you went gluten-free this year and you’re looking for your new favorite treat – check out our macarons! We have sixteen flavors year-round and a bunch of seasonal flavors, so you’re always getting variety, even in the same dessert. And they are made with love in our gluten-free macaron commercial kitchen in Plymouth, Minnesota.

From all of us at Nikkolette’s Macarons to you, we hope you have a very Happy New Year!