Hey! We’re Cookies Free Gluten (And We’re So Glad You Found Us)

Our Purpose: The Kitchen Table That Started Everything

I’ll never forget that Sunday afternoon in March 2019 when my sister Emma called me, crying. She’d just been diagnosed with celiac disease, and the doctor handed her a pamphlet with about twelve “safe” foods on it. “Sarah,” she sobbed, “does this mean I can never have cookies again? Or birthday cake? Or just… normal food?”

That moment broke something in me. Here was my little sister—the one who used to sneak chocolate chip cookies from our mom’s kitchen at midnight, the one whose love language was literally baking—being told her food life was basically over. The gluten-free options at the store? Cardboard with a price tag that made us both wince. Twenty-three dollars for a tiny loaf of bread that tasted like sadness.

So I did what any slightly obsessive older sister would do: I moved into Emma’s kitchen. For three months straight, we tested recipes. We failed spectacularly—I’m talking hockey-puck brownies, cookies that could double as roofing tiles, and a pizza crust incident we’ve agreed never to discuss publicly. Emma’s husband Mike still jokes about “the great kitchen fire of April 2019” (it was small, and we learned important lessons about oven temperatures).

But here’s the thing that kept us going: every single failure taught us something. Every recipe that worked made Emma cry happy tears. And when we finally nailed that first batch of chocolate chip cookies that actually tasted like cookies? Emma ate four in one sitting and then called our mom to ugly-cry about how she “got her life back.”

That’s why Cookies Free Gluten exists. Not because we’re perfect bakers (we’re definitely not—ask Mike about the quinoa flour disaster). Not because we think gluten-free living is easy (it’s not). But because we believe that food restrictions shouldn’t mean flavor restrictions. Because your kid’s birthday deserves a cake that makes everyone ask for seconds. Because Tuesday night dinner should be delicious AND achievable, not a choice between the two.

Our Mission: What We Actually Do Every Single Day

Every morning, you’ll find at least one of us in a kitchen—usually covered in flour (gluten-free, obviously), often muttering about ingredient ratios, occasionally dancing to terrible music while the mixer runs. We test every single recipe at least twelve times before it goes live. Yes, twelve. Mike thinks we’re ridiculous, but he also admits he’s gained ten pounds from being our taste-tester, so he’s not complaining too loudly.

We’re obsessed with three things: it has to taste amazing, it has to actually work in a real kitchen (not some professional test kitchen with fifty specialty tools), and it can’t cost more than a small car payment to make. Because here’s what we learned from Emma’s journey: gluten-free living is already expensive enough. If we’re asking you to try a recipe, we’re making damn sure it’s worth your time, money, and hope.

Right now, over 127,000 families trust us with their meal plans every month. That number keeps me up at night—in the best possible way. It means 127,000 people are counting on us to deliver recipes that work, shopping guides that actually save money, and honest advice about what’s worth buying and what’s marketing nonsense.

We read every single comment. Every email. Every frustrated message about a recipe that didn’t work (and yes, we fix them—usually within 24 hours). Emma personally responds to most questions because she genuinely cares whether your cookies turned out okay. She’s been there, in that kitchen, wondering if she’d ever eat normally again.

Our Vision: The World We’re Building Together

Picture this: walking into any restaurant and seeing actual gluten-free options that aren’t just salad. Your kid going to a birthday party without you packing emergency snacks because “nothing there will be safe.” Making dinner without consulting three apps, two websites, and a prayer. That’s the world we’re working toward.

But here’s the bigger dream—and this is where it gets emotional for me. I want Emma’s future kids to grow up never thinking gluten-free food is “diet food” or “health food” or “punishment food.” I want them to have their favorite cookies, their comfort meals, their celebration desserts. I want them to understand their celiac disease is just a thing they have, not a thing that defines their entire relationship with food.

We’re not just creating recipes—we’re building a community where 3am panic-googling “can I eat this?” gets replaced with “oh yeah, I know exactly what to make.” Where newly diagnosed folks find support instead of just overwhelming restrictions. Where parents discover they can still bake with their kids without fear.

And honestly? We’re already seeing it happen. Last month, a reader named Jennifer emailed to say her daughter asked to pack our gluten-free lunch recipes instead of the “special” lunch she used to hide in her backpack. Another reader, Marcus, told us his mom cried when he made our Thanksgiving dinner recipes because “it finally felt normal again.”

That’s what keeps us testing recipes at midnight. That’s why Emma spends hours researching new flours and ingredients. That’s why Mike (yes, he’s officially on the team now) films our behind-the-scenes failures and successes for TikTok. Because every person who finds freedom in their kitchen is exactly why we started this.

Our Core Values: What We Actually Stand For

Real Food First (Emma’s Rule)

If Emma’s future kids can’t pronounce an ingredient, we don’t use it. Period. This rule came from her early gluten-free days when every “safe” product had seventeen unpronounceable chemicals. We believe gluten-free should mean food, not science experiments. Does this make recipe development harder? Absolutely. Do we care? Not even a little bit.

Kitchen-Tested Truth (No Pinterest Lies Here)

Every recipe survives what we call “the Tuesday night test”—tired parent, hungry kids, one pot or pan max, 30 minutes or less. If it fails, we start completely over. We’re done with recipes that look gorgeous in photos but require eighteen specialty ingredients and a culinary degree to execute. Sarah’s kids (ages 7 and 9) are our brutal honest taste-testers. If they won’t eat it, it doesn’t make the blog.

Failure Is Part of Success (And We’ll Tell You About Ours)

Remember that cauliflower pizza crust I mentioned? Version 1.0 through 6.0 were disasters. We documented every failure because learning from our mistakes saves you from making them. We’ll tell you when recipes flop, when ingredients are overpriced garbage, and when the “latest gluten-free trend” is just marketing nonsense. Emma keeps a “Wall of Shame” in her kitchen with photos of our worst failures—it reminds us that perfection isn’t the goal; progress is.

Your Budget Matters (Mike’s Contribution)

Mike joined our team specifically because he got tired of watching Emma and me create expensive recipes. He’s our “budget reality checker.” Every recipe includes cost-per-serving calculations, substitution options for pricey ingredients, and honest assessments about what’s worth splurging on. Because going gluten-free shouldn’t require a trust fund.

Community Over Competition

When readers discover something that works, we share it—even if it’s not our recipe. When someone has a question we can’t answer, we connect them with people who can. Emma runs a private Facebook group where 5,000+ members share tips, victories, and emergency dinner solutions. We’ve seen friendships form, support networks develop, and people literally save each other’s sanity during hard diagnosis days.

Meet Our Expert Team: The Humans Behind Your Screen

Sarah Mitchell – Founder, Recipe Developer & Chief Kitchen Disaster Manager

Email: [email protected]

Hi! I’m Sarah, and I’m the slightly obsessive sister who started this whole adventure. Before gluten-free took over my life, I worked as a food scientist (yes, really) for a major baking company. Ten years of understanding flour chemistry, recipe formulation, and why some things work and others spectacularly don’t. I have a Master’s in Food Science from Cornell and professional baking certifications that mostly gather dust now that I’m elbow-deep in gluten-free flour at home.

But here’s what really qualifies me: I’ve made over 2,400 gluten-free recipes in the past five years. I’ve tested every flour blend on the market (some twice, just to be sure I wasn’t having a bad day). I’ve learned to troubleshoot texture issues, binding problems, and that weird aftertaste some flours have. I’m based in Portland, Oregon, where I share a house with my husband Tom, two kids who think vegetables are optional, and a sourdough starter named “Gerald” that I somehow keep alive.

My biggest failure? Trying to recreate my grandmother’s croissants gluten-free. After forty-seven attempts, I admitted defeat and created something different but equally delicious. Sometimes you have to let go of perfection and embrace possibility.

Emma Chen-Mitchell – Co-Founder, Recipe Tester & Community Manager

Email: [email protected]

Hey there! I’m Emma, the celiac diagnosis that started everything. Before 2019, I worked as a pediatric nurse and honestly never thought much about gluten. It was just… food. Then came the diagnosis, and suddenly food became complicated, scary, and expensive.

Living with celiac disease for five years has taught me more than any certification could. I understand cross-contamination on a molecular level because getting it wrong means I’m sick for days. I know which restaurants really get it and which ones are just checking a box. I’ve learned to read ingredient labels like a lawyer reads contracts—carefully and with deep suspicion.

I handle all our community management because I genuinely love connecting with people going through what I went through. Every newly diagnosed person who finds us deserves someone who gets it—not just intellectually, but from living it every single day. I’m based in Seattle with my husband Mike and our two rescue dogs who will absolutely eat anything that falls on the floor (testing their gluten-free tolerance regularly, apparently).

Fun fact: I still cry sometimes when I eat really good gluten-free bread. Food freedom is emotional, and I’ll never take it for granted.

Mike Chen – Budget Analyst, Video Content Creator & Reality Check Officer

Email: [email protected]

What’s up! I’m Mike, and I married into this gluten-free adventure. Background in financial analysis and a semi-successful YouTube channel about budget living (15K subscribers, mostly people who think I’m funny). When Emma got diagnosed, I watched her spend $200 on groceries that lasted four days. That’s when I knew someone needed to bring financial sense to gluten-free living.

I’m the guy who tests whether expensive ingredients are actually worth it. I comparison-shop obsessively. I create budget meal plans that real families can actually afford. And I handle our TikTok and YouTube channels because apparently, I’m “good on camera” (Emma’s words, not mine).

My role here is making sure this blog stays accessible. Gluten-free shouldn’t be a luxury diet. We’re based in Seattle, and I spend probably too much time at Costco comparing prices and convincing Emma that yes, we really do need to buy in bulk.

Real talk: I’m not celiac. I don’t have gluten sensitivity. But I eat gluten-free at home because I love my wife, and honestly? Most of our recipes are so good I don’t even miss regular cookies anymore. (Don’t tell Sarah, but her chocolate chip cookies are better than my mom’s. Sorry, Mom.)

Dr. Rachel Okonkwo – Nutrition Consultant (Part-Time Contributor)

Email: [email protected]

Hello! I’m Dr. Rachel Okonkwo, and I provide nutrition consulting and recipe review for the blog. I’m a registered dietitian with specialty certification in celiac disease and gluten-related disorders. I earned my doctorate in Nutritional Sciences from NYU and have worked with over 500 celiac patients in clinical practice.

I work with the team to ensure recipes meet nutritional guidelines, fact-check claims about gluten-free living, and help develop meal plans that support overall health—not just gluten avoidance. I’m based in Boston and contribute 10-15 hours monthly to recipe review and nutrition articles.

My approach: gluten-free eating should support your health, not replace one set of problems with another. I help the team balance deliciousness with nutrition, because both matter.

How We Actually Do This Work: Behind the Scenes

Here’s our brutal honest process: Sarah develops initial recipes based on her food science knowledge. Emma tests them in her real kitchen (the one without professional equipment or unlimited counter space). If they work, Mike tests them on a budget. If they survive Mike’s scrutiny, we send them to three volunteer testers with different kitchens and skill levels.

Only recipes that pass all these tests get published. Even then, we watch comments like hawks for the first week. If multiple people report problems, we pull the recipe, fix it, and republish with notes about what we changed and why.

We research ingredients obsessively. Sarah subscribes to food science journals. Emma is in Facebook groups with other celiacs comparing notes on safe products. Mike tracks price fluctuations on gluten-free staples. Dr. Rachel reviews our nutrition claims before anything goes live.

Every three months, we revisit old recipes based on reader feedback and new ingredient availability. The blog is a living document—we’re constantly improving based on what you tell us works or doesn’t work in your kitchen.

Why Trust Us? (Fair Question!)

Look, we get it. The internet is full of food blogs promising miracles and delivering mediocrity. Here’s why we’re different:

Sarah’s food science background means she understands the actual chemistry of why gluten-free baking is hard—and how to solve those problems systematically rather than through endless trial and error.

Emma’s lived experience with celiac disease means every recipe is tested by someone who will genuinely get sick if cross-contamination happens. She’s not guessing about safety—she’s staking her health on it.

We’ve published 847 recipes to date. Our average recipe has been tested 15 times before publishing and reviewed by 1,200+ readers after publishing. We have a 4.7-star average rating across all recipes, and we publicly address every 3-star or below review with recipe improvements.

We’re transparent about failures and limitations. We don’t claim recipes are “just like the original” when they’re not. We don’t use phrases like “you can’t even tell it’s gluten-free” unless that’s genuinely true (and we’re picky about that claim).

Media mentions: Featured in Celiac Disease Foundation newsletter, Portland Food & Wine Magazine, and interviewed for two podcasts about gluten-free living. But honestly? Reader testimonials matter more to us than media coverage.

Our Community: That’s You!

Over 127,000 monthly readers trust us with their meal planning. But numbers don’t tell the real story. The real story is in emails like Jennifer’s, whose daughter finally stopped hiding her lunch. Or Marcus’s mom crying at Thanksgiving. Or the newly diagnosed teacher who emailed us at 2am in a panic and Emma responded within an hour because she remembered that feeling.

You’ve taught us so much. Reader suggestions led to our budget meal prep series. Reader questions inspired our “Gluten-Free Basics” video tutorials. Reader failures helped us improve seventeen recipes in the past year alone.

Our private Facebook group (5,000+ members) is where magic happens daily. Members share emergency dinner solutions, restaurant recommendations, emotional support during frustrating days, and celebration photos when recipes work perfectly. It’s become a genuine community where people know each other’s names, remember each other’s struggles, and celebrate each other’s victories.

Our Promise to You: How We Maintain Standards

Every recipe is tested by Emma (who has celiac) before publishing. Every nutritional claim is reviewed by Dr. Rachel. Every budget calculation is verified by Mike. We don’t publish anything unless all three sign off.

We fact-check obsessively. When we make claims about ingredients, we cite sources (usually peer-reviewed studies or government databases). When we recommend products, we’ve tested them personally—and we note when we receive products for free.

We update recipes based on reader feedback. If three or more people report the same issue, we investigate and usually revise. All updates include notes about what changed and why.

We admit mistakes publicly. Last month, we miscalculated protein content in a recipe. We corrected it immediately, notified everyone who’d downloaded it, and explained our error. Transparency builds trust; hiding mistakes destroys it.

We respond to emails within 48 hours (usually much faster—Emma checks obsessively). We read every blog comment. We answer questions honestly, even when the honest answer is “I don’t know, but let me research that and get back to you.”

Let’s Stay Connected (We Actually Mean It)

General questions or just want to say hi: [email protected]

Recipe questions or troubleshooting: [email protected]

Partnership inquiries: [email protected]

Media requests: [email protected]

Emergency recipe failures (yes, that’s real): [email protected]

Find us on social:

• Instagram: @cookiesfreegluten (daily recipe photos and behind-the-scenes chaos)
• TikTok: @cookiesfreegluten (Mike’s videos, Emma’s kitchen disasters, real talk)
• Facebook: Cookies Free Gluten community (join 5,000+ members)
• Pinterest: @cookiesfreegluten (recipe organization and meal planning boards)

Physical mail (legal correspondence or gifts of chocolate):
LLC Cookies Free Gluten
123 Gluten Free Way, Suite 200
Portland, OR 97204

For Technical Support: When the Website Acts Wonky

Having trouble logging in, resetting your password, accessing premium content, or experiencing website glitches? Our technical wizard Lisa personally handles every support email at [email protected]. She usually responds within 24 hours (often faster—she’s a bit of an email overachiever). If it’s urgent, put “URGENT” in the subject line.

Common issues Lisa can help with:

• Password resets and account access
• Subscription and payment questions
• Download problems with recipe PDFs
• Website loading or display issues
• Mobile app technical problems

Lisa’s been managing our tech backend for two years and actually enjoys solving these puzzles. Yes, she’s that person. We’re very grateful for her.

Careers: Want to Join Our Beautifully Chaotic Team?

We’re a small but growing team, and we’re always looking for passionate people who get genuinely excited about making gluten-free food accessible and delicious. Right now, we’re specifically seeking:

• Part-time recipe developer with pastry background (remote, 15-20 hrs/week)
• Social media content creator familiar with TikTok and Instagram Reels (remote)
• Freelance photographers for recipe photography (Portland area preferred)

Even if we don’t have current openings, we love hearing from talented folks who share our mission. Send your resume and a paragraph about why gluten-free food matters to you to [email protected].

What we offer: competitive pay for the industry, fully remote flexibility, the best taste-testing job ever, and a team culture that values work-life balance. Also, you’ll probably gain weight from testing recipes. Consider yourself warned.

For Writers: Want to Contribute to Our Blog?

Love writing about gluten-free cooking, nutrition, lifestyle, or wellness? We’re always scouting for contributors who share our passion for making gluten-free living accessible and delicious.

We look for writers who can:

• Blend personal experience with solid research
• Write in conversational, accessible language (no academic snoozefests)
• Meet deadlines consistently
• Accept constructive editing feedback
• Share kitchen disasters alongside successes

We pay $100-300 per accepted article depending on length, research depth, and exclusivity. We also welcome guest contributions from celiac community members who want to share their stories (paid opportunities available).

Send your pitch to [email protected] with:

• 2-3 published writing samples
• Brief explanation of your connection to gluten-free living
• Specific article ideas (2-3 topics you’d like to write about)

Fair warning: we’re picky about quality and accuracy, but we’re also incredibly supportive of our contributor family. If we like your voice, we’ll work with you to develop your ideas into something amazing.