Have You Had a Nun's Bun?

I've told you how Granada is the place for tapas.

But Granada has another secret...

Nuns buns. 

Approaching the monastery of Santa Isabel la Real that sits high above the city. Useful tidbit: nearby is the beautiful Mirador (viewpoint)  de Cruz de  Quiros.

The "mystery door" is in a small alcove to the left. You can see that the cobblestoned area you walk through to get there is completely unmarked.

Otherwise known as various confections made by nuns.

To many, nuns buns are a mythical, magical bounty that few have encountered and many have coveted. So with the help of the ultimate pre-trip researcher (the one-and-only Sukie Amory) we were able to track down these fabled treats in Granada at the Monasterio de Santa Isabel la Real, just off a street of the same name.

These two small, simple signs simply say that there are artisan pastries and roscos fritos, a traditional sweet for Saint week. Apart from that, you just have to know what to do.

This is it: the magical revolving door. After it creaks open you ring a bell or knock and you should get some sort of response--if you're lucky.

You will not see the nuns. No secular man shall see the nuns. But you shall see what miracles they produce.

Hidden away with none but their ovens and the holy trinity to keep them company, is this what they do all day? Bake and pray? Pray while baking? Pray to be able to resist constantly eating these most delectable of all worldly baked goods?

The way I see it, these nuns have devoted most of their time to two things: God and baking. It follows that they have been blessed. These are quite possibly the most perfectly-executed dessert of this class that you'll ever find.

Also in the waiting area: a mid-size door leading to who-knows-where alongside a tribute to Santa Clara de Asis

After you state your purpose, the shelves revolve around to show you what all of your options are

With nothing but a tiny, hand-written sign at the uppermost corner of a small wooden door to indicate what goodness hides inside, we were lucky to have even found this hidden-away sanctuary of sugar and piety. The small door opens to reveal a circular rotating shelf like a lazy Susan. A small bell or perhaps a knock will let one of the sisters know that one of the earthly heathens has come to receive the fruit of their labor.

You will wait with anticipation until a soft and ancient voice comes through the cracks of the shelf system, greeting you warmly and asking what it is you've come for. You tell them in halting, nervous Spanish that you've tracked them down for their confections. You wait. The shelves turn. Then comes the bounty.

After some moments of painstaking deliberation, you choose from the displayed pastries. The shelves rotate again. You wait. Another rotation, and there they are, your sweets, packaged by the delicate hands of a mysterious sister.

A closer look at the offerings

And after a few mouth-watering moments, they arrive.

You place your money on the shelf, and with a few turns you receive your change. The rendezvous is over. The money has changed hands, and soon you will take your reward.

Neither of you will ever find the satisfaction of putting a face to the voice, but oh, you will imagine something beautiful once you bite into one of these delicacies. You will imagine it has come from the mind and the gentle hands of an angel. You will imagine that your life could go on like this forever, receiving soft, sweet desserts from hidden sisters behind secret doors. You will close your eyes, and you will be happy with these near-holy desserts.

A tender, crumbly almond shortbread pastry filled with cabello de angel, a sweet filling made from thin fibers of various "fruits" like pumpkins. Resembling angel hair pasta, it's named thus for metaphorical reasons that I assume you've figured out by now.

While I'm not typically a fan of cakey, chocolate-less desserts, these Spanish Magdalenas (Madelines) were so absurdly, perfectly moist that I was addicted at first bite. And with espresso and a drizzle of local honey? Heaven. Go figure.

So, have you booked your flight yet?

Keep following for more culinary amazement...the dinner that will change your life is up next!