This is the 6365th most frequent Russian word.
хлопья
Flakes.
In this sentence, 'хлопья' is used to mean cereals, typically grains processed into flakes for eating.
На завтрак я часто ем хлопья с молоком.
For breakfast, I often eat cereal with milk.
Here, 'хлопья' refers to snowflakes, emphasizing the small flake-like nature of the falling snow.
Снежные хлопья падали с неба, укрывая землю белым покрывалом.
Snowflakes were falling from the sky, covering the ground with a white blanket.
In this context, 'хлопья' means flakes, specifically small, thin pieces of a substance, in this case, gold.