Crunchy cornflake cookies

Rose del deserto (Desert roses) are not only an amazing miracle of nature but also delicious crunchy cornflake cookies

Sometimes you can find indescribable beauty even in the most unexpected places. Did you know, for example, that roses can delight the eye not only in a flowerbed or in a vase in the living room… They also grow in the desert! Yes, yes, I mean that desert, where there is sand to the right and the left, behind and in front … wherever you look, there is nothing but sand everywhere … and beautiful desert roses! Well, the “petals” of these roses are not as delicate as those of the usual flowers, and the color is not so bright, but with their beauty they amaze everyone who looks at them. Even Sting mentioned desert flowers in one of his best songs …

In fact, desert roses are nothing but gypsum crystals formed in the sand. When the rain comes, the thirsty desert sand will instantly absorb the water, which together with the sand gypsum will settle deep under the surface, but the scorching desert sun will get even there, heat everything, turn the water into a cloud and leave a fabulous gypsum crystal of amazing shape with a sandy hue.

Nature is truly amazing! Even the most talented jeweler could not create such graceful forms …

Rose del deserto in your kitchen

I hasten to please you: you don’t have to go to the Sahara for desert roses; you can make them yourself and even eat them! Of course, I’m not talking about plaster crystals now, but about crunchy cornflake cookies, which in their shape resemble rose del deserto (desert roses), hence their name.

If you already have cornflakes in your kitchen, you are extremely lucky. If not, I strongly advise you to buy them as soon as possible, because they are the basis for these easy cornflake cookies. You just can’t help but taste these aromatic, crispy and so original Italian sweets.

I always add orange zest to Rose del deserto recipe, but in this case, the flight of imagination is unlimited.

Orange zest substitute ideas?

• lemon zest
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• your favorite essence (with rum, for example, these easy cornflake cookies become a miracle)!

Enjoy baking and have a sweet day and a romantic mood.

Ingredients for Italian crunchy cornflake cookies:

• Flour (plain all-purpose flour will br perfect for this recipe)
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Butter (at room temperature)
• Baking powder
• Cornflakes (for the dough + for decoration)
• Zest of orange or lemon
• Vanilla

Easy cornflake cookies (Rose del deserto) step-by-step recipe:

Put flour, baking powder, sugar and butter together

Mix everything until crumbs form

Add eggs, zest and vanillin

Add 150g (5oz) cornflakes

Mix well and knead a soft dough (it will be quite sticky)

Put the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes and then divide it into many small balls (like walnuts)

Roll the cookies in 300g (10oz) cornflakes and place them on a baking tray (leave some space between the cookies, they will spread out and grow during baking)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the cookies for 20 minutes.

Let them cool for a while, and in the meantime, make a cup of tea. Bon appetit!