The desert roses are delicious, crumbly, and aromatic cookies with a crunchy corn flakes shell. I love baking cookies; in fall, when the afternoons are gloomy, I make two or three doughs and prepare a tray of cookies for breakfast like chocolate chip cookies, dunking cookies, and canestrelli.
Today I made the desert roses in their most classic version with orange zest and a portion of almond flour; they are really simple and also versatile and customizable, you can add to the dough raisins, candied fruits, chocolate chips, or nuts to create your favorite variants.
You can store these magnificent treats for 4 or 5 days in a tin box or an airtight container, but the cereals used for garnishing tend to absorb the moisture of the cookie, losing some of their crunchiness. I recommend making a few at a time; alternatively, if the corn flakes soften, you can dry the cookies in the oven at 212°F for a few minutes.
Here are some ideas to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15 pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 130.70 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 17.38 (g) of which sugars 7.33 (g)
- Proteins 2.39 (g)
- Fat 5.97 (g) of which saturated 2.38 (g)of which unsaturated 1.39 (g)
- Fibers 0.82 (g)
- Sodium 58.72 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cup almond flour
- 4 tbsps tbsps butter
- 1/3 cup cup sugar
- 1 egg (medium, about 50 g)
- 1 tsp tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp tsp orange zest (grated)
- 1 pinch pinch salt
- 2 cups cups corn flakes
- 2 tsps vanilla powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Hand whisk
- 1 Scale
- 1 Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 1 Small bowl
Procedure
Cut the butter into cubes, put it in a bowl, and let it sit at room temperature until soft; I soften it in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the orange zest, vanilla, salt, and egg, mix well, then add the sifted flour with baking powder and almond flour. Place the mixture in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
Put the corn flakes in a small bowl.
Use two teaspoons to form walnut-sized balls of dough and roll them in the cereal, pressing lightly (the dough is very soft, so the corn flakes will stick without problems).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies well-spaced as they will increase in volume during baking.
Bake the cookies in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 18-20 minutes, they should lightly brown and remain soft inside.
The desert roses are ready, remove them from the oven, let them cool, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.
Advice
Storage
You can store the desert roses in an airtight container for 4/5 days, but the cereals used for garnishing tend to absorb the cookie’s moisture, losing some crunchiness. Therefore, I recommend making a few at a time; alternatively, if the corn flakes soften, you can dry the cookies in the oven at 212°F for a few minutes.
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