French bakery, Guatemalan love equal sweet treats

Amorcito, “sweet love” in Spanish, is the pet name Elizabeth Marroquin’s Guatemalan husband has for her. When it came time to name her home bakery, the choice was obvious she said.

Amorcito offers sugar cookies, eclairs, both French macarons and macaroons, and other sweet treats. The entire menu is gluten free and baked by Marroquin in her licensed home bakery.

Officially in business since November of 2019, Amorcito produced more than 40 dozen cookies over the Christmas season.

Marroquin graduated from Creston Community High School in 2010 as Elizabeth Gravlin, daughter of David and Denise Gravlin and Wayne and Michelle Hanson. On a mission trip with Believe Together to Guatemala, she met David Marroquin in the city dump and 10 months later, they were married. The couple spent a few months in Guatemala while Elizabeth Marroquin completed an internship through University of Northern Iowa and then returned to the U.S. A few years ago, they moved back to Creston.

David Marroquin is an artist, architect and urban designer responsible for many of the drawings of Uptown Creston’s urban renewal plans including the design for Hot Air Brewing’s building on North Maple Street.

Elizabeth Marroquin is a stay-at-home mom with a penchant for baking that comes from memories of cooking with her own mother while growing up.

“One of my fondest memories growing up was getting to bake brownies or bake cookies and just spend time with her in there,” she said.

Last year, David Marroquin told his wife she needed to quit baking or find another outlet for her products. After she made macarons and macaroons for a family dinner, which were devoured, her husband and father said she needed to sell them.

“My husband and my dad looked at me and they’re like, ‘you better start selling these,’” she said.

And Amorcito bakery was born.

Marroquin said she started with macarons because she likes the challenge of the French techniques.

“Everybody said how difficult that they were, and I ... (decided to) try my hand at this,” Marroquin said. “The first time I did it they came out really well,”

She went on to explain that not every batch worked out as well, but the less perfect ones are still good for testing new flavors.

“I’m an overachiever, in terms of making sure that everything is perfect with the baked good,” Marroquin said. “And if it’s not I really struggle. He’s (David) always the one to say, ‘Relax, you’ve got this. It tastes awesome.’”

The sugar cookies Marroquin makes are thick and often have a version of royal icing.

‘I’ve never liked hard thin cookies,” she said. “I like soft, crumbly, delicious cookies. If I’m going to eat a cookie, I want it to be of substance.”

Marroquin has lived gluten free for the last 13 years for health reasons but has remained a devotee of dessert.

“Anybody who knows me, knows if there’s not dessert at the end of the meal, probably not super excited about the meal,” she said.

When she was first diagnosed, the gluten-free dessert choices were few and not as appetizing as the regular options. She turned to her love of baking to satisfy her sweet tooth.

“I wanted something that tasted good, and I could do by myself — I didn’t have to buy it because it’s so expensive.”

The rest of her family, with the exception of her mother, does not have problems with gluten. She said she doesn’t limit her children’s bread because she doesn’t want them to eventually have to eat strictly gluten free. She does substitute gluten-free options while cooking for the family because it is easier to make everything the same.

Marroquin’s goal for Amorcito is to be able to stay at home with her two sons Samuel, 3, and Mattias, nearly 2, while earning a little money on the side and making people happy.

“While not making my husband fat,” she said with a laugh. “I’m blessed to be able to stay at home, to be the one to raise my children,” Marroquin added.

Samuel Marroquin, who is about to turn 4, likes that his mother bakes cookies.

They’re “really yummy” he said.

He is allowed to help when she bakes for personal reasons, but health laws mean professional baking gets done during nap time and after bedtime.

For more information on Amorcito bakery, find Amorcito Bakes Sweets on Facebook or Instagram.