Welcome! I'm Nicole Spiridakis, the recipe developer and baker behind Cucina Nicolina. I'm a writer and cookbook author who specializes in gluten-free baking recipes. This site serves as my online cookbook of sorts, where I share beloved, tried-and-tested recipes for super yummy gluten-free treats, plus baking tips and how-tos. (And if you want a hard copy of my published cookbook, it is available on amazon!)
I also write a monthly newsletter on Substack called Letters from My California Kitchen, where I share a new recipe for subscribers, plus tips and cooking chat. And if you would like to explore my tried-and-true, family-favorite, non-gluten-free baking recipes and nourishing vegetarian classics, please visit my other side, My Veggie Kitchen.
On Cucina Nicolina, you'll find all sorts of doable gluten-free desserts and other bakes, often with a focus on seasonal ingredients. Whether you're in the mood for a citrusy gluten free lemon loaf, a tender and moist gluten free chocolate layer cake, or just want to whip up a batch of gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars for the perfect afternoon/after-school snack, you'll find a gluten free tidbit for everyone.
More About Me
It's so good to meet you, and I'm thrilled you stopped by! Founded in 2006, Cucina Nicolina is your home for approachable gluten-free baking recipes that always taste good, all created, written, and photographed by me, a food writer and cookbook author.
I live in Sonoma County with my family in a little yellow house tucked among redwood trees, apple orchards, and vineyards. Once upon a time, I lived in other places, including Washington, DC, San Francisco, Casablanca, Riyadh, and Sydney. We're happy to now call Northern California home.
My girls (Sierra, 12, and Elsie, 9) are my ultimate taste testers - I figure if they like what I make and have no idea it's gluten-free, well, it's worthy to share here!
I've been baking gluten-free for well over a decade and even wrote a cookbook called Flourless: Recipes for Gluten Free Desserts that's packed with naturally gluten-free dessert recipes (it was published in 2014 by Chronicle Books). My objective has always been to create gluten free desserts that are so good you'd never notice the absence of gluten. And after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in 2021, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid, I went wholly gluten-free myself.
I LOVE chocolate cake (my highly rated oat flour chocolate cake is my go-to birthday cake recipe), and baking with oat flour, my favorite gluten-free flour, always creates the best results. And to keep baking easier, I created a super reliable homemade gluten free flour blend that works 1:1 in all regular recipes. Check that out!
My self-published cookbooks, Gather: Recipes for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving and Celebrate: The Gluten-Free Holiday Table, are also available on amazon. I encourage you to give those a look if you need gluten-free holiday recipes.
Why Cucina Nicolina?
No, I'm not Italian, though I dearly loved my time in Italy during my trip there in 2000. The name came up when we were tossing around names for a food blog, and it stuck. I love the warm, inviting feel of "cucina" - it brings to mind a cozy kitchen where the scents of homemade bread and chocolate cake mingle comfortably, and where all are welcome.
My Work
I am a former journalist who traded the newsroom for food and lifestyle writing and recipe development. I have written articles and recipes for many print and online publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, NPR Online, Reuters, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and other local and national outlets. My cookbook, Flourless: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Desserts, was published by Chronicle Books in 2014 (more about that below). Please visit my clips site for more information and writing samples, or to work with me on a project!
What You'll Find on Cucina Nicolina
- Simple, effective recipes. At Cucina Nicolina, all recipes are created using naturally gluten-free ingredients. My general cooking and baking philosophy is "simple is best." This means that ingredient lists won't contain anything hard to pronounce or hard to find.
- Reliable. These recipes are developed and tested (and re-tested!) in my home kitchen, and I don't share a recipe until it's finalized.
- Easy to follow. I try to include process shots to guide you through each recipe, tips to make it turn out perfectly, and always offer substitution suggestions so you can make these recipes dairy-free as well as gluten-free. And if you need to swap out one flour for another, no problem. I'll give options for those as well.
- No weird ingredients. I am a big believer that gluten-free doesn't have to be complicated! I also don't like to develop recipes that need additives like xanthan gum (I don't think you need gums in gluten-free baking!). With the right combination of gluten-free flours or just the right ratio of one gluten-free flour, you absolutely don't need to add anything processed.
- No AI-produced content. What can I say ... I'm old school. I write, photograph, and edit everything on this website myself.
A Bit More About Me and the Blog
- What recipes do you recommend for someone new to gluten free baking? I love this question! Start with a batch of oat flour chocolate chip cookies or oat flour blueberry muffins. You'll need just one gluten-free flour - oat flour! - to make these recipes, and they are so delicious.
- Gluten free baking seems hard. Do you have any tips? I hear you. But remember that gluten-free baking has come a long way even since I wrote my cookbook 10 years ago. To help, I have a whole Gluten Free Resources section that I'm continually adding to. For starters, always rest a gluten free batter before baking it for at least 20 minutes. You will taste the difference!
- What is your book about? My cookbook, Flourless: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Desserts, contains a wide selection of gluten-free goodies, including cookies, puddings, cakes and cupcakes, candy, and more.
- Did you really live in Saudi Arabia? Yes! We spent two years in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of the U.S. diplomatic mission. I learned how to make really good hummus and came to appreciate a warm winter. Then we swapped seasons and moved to Sydney, which is another story for another time. See my Substack newsletter, where I'll share more about living overseas.
My Cookbook
Check out my cookbook Flourless: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Desserts! The book is full of moody, gorgeous photos by John Lee and is packed with all sorts of delicious gluten-free desserts. I loved creating these recipes, and I'm so glad that so many of you have enjoyed baking them.
You can buy Flourless here: