Name: My Grandmother's Earrings
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 20 earbuds
Cuisine: Provence
Ingredients: 250 g offlour; 1 nuts ofbutter (faded); 2 eggs; 50 g ofsugar (Preferably red-haired); 1 tbsp ofRum; 1 tsp ofbaking powder (not too full); 1 pinch ofsalt; 1 tbsp ofolive oil; 1 orange zest; 1 lemon zest (grated); orange blossom water (optional); 1 liter offrying oil; deep fryer (optional, or a cast-iron casserole, or a deep skillet (saute pan))

My Grandmother's Earrings

desserts candy and sweets christmas cookies fried foods mardi gras prepared in advance

Updated on 10 January 2026 by

ratatouille

5 reviews 4.2 : Very good

Cuisine

Provence

Diet

Vegetarian

Level

Easy

Preparation

1 hour

Cooking

15 minutes

Here is the traditional recipe for oreillettes, those delicious figure-eight-shaped cookies that Marie-Louise, our Provençal grandmother, used to make for us when we were little.

The oreillette is a dessert from the Southeast, a carnival treat that symbolizes the rich bread marking the end of Lent. They’re also part of Christmas traditions.

That said, they’re so good that we make them all year round anyway!

For

earbuds

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250 g of flour
1 nuts of butter faded
2 eggs
50 g of sugar Preferably red-haired
1 tbsp of Rum
1 tsp of baking powder not too full
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 orange zest
1 lemon zest grated
orange blossom water optional

For frying
1 liter of frying oil

Kitchen utensils
deep fryer optional, or a cast-iron casserole, or a deep skillet (saute pan)

1
Combine all the ingredients and form the dough into a ball. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
2
Roll out the dough into discs about 2 mm thick on a lightly floured work surface.
3
Use a glass—like a whiskey glass—to cut out circles.
4
Roll out each disc into an oval shape, make a hole on each side, tuck the dough into the holes, and pull it back out. The dough should take the shape of two ears joined by a central knot.
5
In a medium saucepan (about 25 cm in diameter), heat 1 liter of sunflower oil over medium heat. Drop in a small ball of dough to test the oil; when it rises to the surface and begins to sizzle, add the doughnuts in batches of about 8 at a time.
6
Once they are golden brown, drain them and place them in a bowl lined with paper towels. Sprinkle them with fine sugar (preferably brown sugar) while they are still hot, as you remove them from the pan.