Aah, kids and vacations. They have their own agenda on what to expect. While we tend to have a check list of “the must see” tourist sites “, Kids list always surprises me. Perfect example is our recent trip to Spain for our 2019 summer vacation. The quest for mysterious cookies in Madrid, Spain.
We had all done our research on the places to visit and sites to see and as expected the adults had their list of castles and cathedrals and must see tourists spots while my kids had a totally different list of things to do.
Sri my eldest was more interested in going anywhere where she could stroll the local neighborhoods and where they had street artists, Anjali was keen on visiting the literary district in Madrid, while Rani was the most excited about buying cookies from nuns at a monastery in Spain.
Buy cookies from nuns?
This was her number one request from our trip – that she be able to buy cookies from nuns. Rani had her heart set on a monastery in Sevilla in the South of Spain where nuns sell cookies at a local market in the late afternoon, but after our sightseeing trips we missed the opportunity every time.
As you can imagine, having traveled all the way across the continent to buy cookies from nuns, Rani was disappointed that she couldn’t do the one thing she had on her list.
But Hitesh informed her that we had one more city to explore – Madrid; and if she could find something there we would make that our number one priority. Well Rani did her research and came across Monasterio Del Corpus Christi in Madrid where cloistered nuns sell cookies at their monastery.
And so the adventure began for the hunt for these mysterious cookies.
This tale reads like a magical storybook with mysterious maps and directions, an unknown destination, a faceless voice behind the door, and prized cookies.
“There’s a legend about cookies that you can hear spoken of in hushed tones on the streets of Madrid. These aren’t your normal store-bought cookies. No, these highly sought-after treats are baked from ancient recipes dating back to the time of the Romans (so they say), and they’re made exclusively by nuns who avoid being seen by the general public”
Looking for the mysterious monastery
Locating the Corpus Christi Monastery in Madrid wasn’t easy, we walked on small unnamed streets where local spoke little English, Google maps was vague at best, and almost gave up on our cookie quest.
We got lost a couple of times and at one point we asked Rani if all this was worth it, maybe we could just find a local market where other nuns sell cookies?
A quest like this requires some Spanish speaking skills
Interaction with the locals for directions was key to finding this elusive monastery. When we finally found the church of Corpus Chrisit there were no signs for where one can purchase these coveted cookies, and for that matter even the local shopkeepers just point you towards the church as they seemed unaware of what cookies we were asking about 🤔.
A door, an alley and a voice
It was a local passerby who heard us and pointed us in the direction of an inconspicuous door off on a side street. Mind you, the kids speak Spanish and understood the lady otherwise Hitesh and I would have just stood there perplexed.
A tiny door at the end of an alley
You see, the church sits at the end of an alley, while the monastery is off on a side street and their building has no signs or markers. If it weren’t for the helpful passerby we would have just walked past the door.
As we stood in front of this large ornate wooden door and pondered what to do, a voice instructed us to “Enter.”
As you can imagine, at this point Hitesh and I were wondering ..
What the heck are we doing?
But we had faith and walked through the door 🙏🏻.
All this for a box of mysterious cookies made by nuns.
Was it worth the effort? Absolutely!! The adventure, the mystery, the excitement of finally arriving at our destination for a very unique and humbling box of cookies made by nuns who have dedicated their lives to God – this is a memory we will cherish forever.
Here is a look at a few photos from our quest for mysterious cookies made by nuns at the Monasterio Del Corpus Christi in Madrid, Spain.
Walking through narrow alleys and streets in Madrid with Google maps that is at best vague.
Finally located the Corpus Christi Church.
Discovered a door off on a side alley. We hoped this was the place!
A voice directed us to enter.
We followed signs leading us through the monastery.
After a few minutes we arrive at a small entryway. Here we see a wooden turntable and a menu for cookies available for sale.
Cookies magicaly appear in the turntable.
A voice takes our order. We in turn place our money and request both the boxes – one is lemon cookies and the other are orange cookies.
This has to be the most unique experience we have all had the pleasure of.
Here is a video that I took. At the end of this video you will hear me say “This is what you came to Spain for.” and Rani just smiles with giddy acknowledgement.
I can honestly say I have never seen my daughter Rani so happy 😁! To have experienced something so unique, it was the cutest thing to see.
The hunt for cookies made by cloistered nuns in Madrid, Spain was a success.
Monasterio Del Corpus Christi in Madrid, Spain.
Monasterio Del Corpus Christi is in the vicinity of Plaza Mayor and on a street parallel to Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid. For more information on this unique experience take a look at Tripadvisor.com.
