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All Spain Madrid Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi

Order cookies baked by cloistered nuns in a 400-year-old monastery.

Madrid, Spain

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Pgnpixi
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Ring the bell and you may be rewarded with these blessed treats.   CRISNYCA / CC BY-SA 4.0
The smell of freshly baked confections permeates the church.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Ring the bell for cookies.   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Follow the “Torno” signs.   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Keep an eye out for this door.   Pgnpixi / Atlas Obscura User
Look for the Oso y Madroño inside the Monasterio.   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
The nuns don’t always feel like baking.   Pgnpixi / Atlas Obscura User
Nuns attend mass through the fence.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
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In the Plaza del Conde de Miranda, a simple set of double doors in the wall of the Monasterio del Corpus Christi lead to a place where visitors can buy cookies directly from cloistered nuns. Although the monastery has been in operation since 1607, only more recently did its inhabitants get into the baking business. As word spread, what started out as an informal neighborhood affair quickly grew.

Since the nuns are strictly forbidden from contact with the outside world, they designed a rather ingenious system. Simply ring the buzzer that says “Monjas” (nuns) on the door and ask, “Tienes dulces hoy?” (“Do you have sweets today?”) If the nuns buzz you in, walk to the end of the corridor, following the signs that read “Torno.” 

When you get there, you will see a turntable, or torno, as well as a menu offering classics like mantecadas de yema (egg yolk shortbreads), nevaditos (iced shortbreads), and naranjines (orange-scented biscuits). The cookies are ordered by weight, so tell them how much you want and put your money on the turntable. The nun on the other side will rotate the turntable so that your money disappears and is replaced by freshly baked biscuits.

Related Tags

Secret Hidden Baking Cookies Monasteries Nuns

Know Before You Go

A sign on the door will tell you if cookies are available, and if not, when they will be selling next. Be sure to bring cash.

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Pgnpixi

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ljbrown, Luis Morato, Xavixavir, Ozymandius Son

  • ljbrown
  • Luis Morato
  • Xavixavir
  • Ozymandius Son

Published

February 22, 2023

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Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi
Plaza del Conde de Miranda
Madrid, 28005
Spain
40.414851, -3.709527
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