First you need to install gnome-panel package using the following command from your terminal
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel
Create new launcher
Open the terminal and run the following command
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new
This will open create laucher dialog box here you can give a suitable name for the launcher.In the Command field , type in the command to launch the application Then, click OK to create the desktop launcher.
Example
We will create nautilus launcher open the terminal and run the following command
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new
This will open create laucher dialog box here you can give a suitable name for the launcher and in the command field enter nautilus and click ok
You can see it will create shortcut on desktop