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    Home » Christmas » Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe

    Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe

    December 3, 2015 , Updated May 8, 2019 Maria 18 Comments

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    Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe || nun's farts cookie || Christmas and holiday baking #nunsfarts #pastrypinwheels #petsdesoeur #recettesduqc

    My mom would love to make this Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe especially at Christmastime. But what exactly are these cookies?

    A cannister of the pets de souet cookies is shown.

    Well, appearance-wise, these pets de soeur look like mini-cinnamon pastry pinwheels.

    A close up of this pinwheel shaped cookie is shown.

    This rural French-Canadian culinary tradition was made with leftover tourtière or pie dough. The rolled out dough would get a sprinkle of brown sugar, cinnamon and butter; they would then be rolled up; sliced and baked. Fast forward in time to today, where a deluxe version can be made with currants, nuts and coconut.

    Sliced pets de soeur shown on a baking sheet.

    I’ve always been a little intrigued (who wouldn’t be, right?) with a name like pets de soeur , which literally means farts of holy sisters. With a little imagination, one can only begin to ponder how such a name could have been given to such a frugal treat. We will never really know the true origins of this name, but one thing is for sure, it catches your attention and someone had a really good sense of humor.

    Pinwheel cookie with currants in a festive cookie tin.

    Origins of the recipe for Deluxe Pets de Soeur  Recipe:

    You might be wondering what a first generation Italian Canadian is doing with a recipe which is traditionally French Canadian. Let’s see if you can follow the bouncing ball. It was my Aunt Andrée (my dad’s sister-in-law) who shared this recipe for pets de soeur with my Mom. My Aunt Andrée got this recipe from her husband’s (my Uncle Joe) aunt, ma Tante Marie. So, the origins of this recipe can be traced to my grandfather’s sister-in-law. Ma Tante Marie was born and raised in Quebec at the turn of the twentieth century.

    My mother adored ma Tante Marie and she absolutely loved this Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe. In fact, we all loved this recipe and still to this day, whenever I make this recipe, a few of us are still trying to be the first ones to grab the ends of these pets de soeur (no pun intended)  😉 My mom would make this recipe at least once a month. It was easy to make and a great recipe to have on hand when family and friends would just pop in to say hello. At Christmas time, an extra batch would always be made.  I can’t help but remember how much my mom would enjoy making this special treat for her loved ones. I will be eternally grateful to my great aunt Marie, for sharing her family recipe so many decades ago.

    So now you know about a French-Canadian recipe named farts of holy sisters…Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe!

    This post is dedicated to my loving mom who would have been 71 years old today.

    Tanti auguri mamma!

    THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

    Ciao for now,

    Maria 

    ★★★★★ If you have made this pets de soeur recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

    Festive holiday cookie tine filled with Deluxe Pets de Soeur.

    A cookie tin of the pets de soeur cookies is shown.

    Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe

    This Deluxe Pets de Soeur Recipe is based on a rural French-Canadian culinary tradition which literally translates as farts of holy sisters. Intrigued?
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French-Canadian
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 40 cookies
    Calories: 113kcal
    Author: Maria Vannelli RD

    Ingredients

    The dough (part 1):

    • 4 cups all purpose flour + extra for cutting board
    • 3 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt

    The filling:

    • 3/4 cup brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
    • 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
    • 1/2 cup medium desiccated unsweetened coconut
    • 1/4 cup currants
    • 1/4 cup walnuts finely chopped

    The dough (part 2):

    • 3 eggs
    • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
    • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup milk
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    Instructions

    • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • Preheat oven to 375 ° F (190 °C).
    • In a large mixing bowl, sift together 4 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
    • In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling. With your fingertips, work the butter in this mixture. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl (of stand mixer) fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on medium-high speed until nice and frothy (about 2-3 minutes).
    • Add the oil and vanilla extract. Continue to whisk until well combined.
    • Switch to paddle attachment.
    • Alternate addition of flour mixture and milk (in 2 additions). Mix on low speed until combined.
    • Separate mixture in half.
    • Place one half of mixture on a floured board (this is a sticky dough so make sure your board and rolling pin are well floured).
    • Roll out dough until you get an 16 x 10 inch rectangle about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
    • Spread half the mixture over the rolled out dough.
    • Roll into a tight log, starting with the long side.
    • Slice the cookies about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
    • Place slices flat down on parchment lined baking sheets,
    • Bake for about 10 minutes at 375° F (190°C), then lower to heat to 350° F (175° C) for another 12-15 minutes or until golden.
    • While first batch of cookies are baking, repeat procedure to make second set of cookies.
    • Transfer baked cookies to wire rack to cool.
    • Can be stored in an airtight container for a few days or frozen until needed.
    Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

    Notes

    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 78mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @shelovesbiscotti or tag #shelovesbiscotti!

     

    Filed Under: Christmas, Cookies, Desserts

    About Maria

    Maria Vannelli is a registered dietitian who lives in a suburb just outside Montreal, Canada. She's the founder of the food blog She Loves Biscotti. Maria hopes to inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Diane Smith

      December 29, 2020 at 11:01 pm

      5 stars
      My husband is in the kitchen rolling out the dough the easy method, he combined pie shells he bought from the freezer section of the grocery store to make meat pies, had extra shells left over and let them thaw out to make these “Pété des soeurs” (of more than one nun). I thank my best girlfriend for having shown us how easy it is to make pies with the store bought frozen pie shells–Sue Charette-Harris you were amazing!

      The word Pet is an English word that people are using which means a pet, i.e., cat, dog or other family pet.

      The word “pété” (to have farted) is the French word when translated to English means “having farted” “break out” “bust”, etc.

      Reply
      • Maria

        December 30, 2020 at 11:23 am

        Thanks so much for sharing and stopping by Diane!

        Reply
    2. Amanda

      November 15, 2019 at 10:52 pm

      5 stars
      I have not made your version of this recipe, but my grandparents and their generation on my mother’s side are all French canadian. This recipe is a Christmas tradition. However, we always call them belly buttons of a nun. A different translation I guess. Regardless, I will have to try this variation
      Typically we just do the brown sugar. cinnamon, butter filling. Thanks for the idea.

      Reply
      • Maria

        November 16, 2019 at 8:29 am

        Thanks Amanda. So many creative names for this wonderful cookie. Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.

        Reply
    3. Diane Galambos

      November 17, 2017 at 9:50 am

      Hi Maria, will plan to make this in memory of your Mom. hugs!

      Reply
      • Maria

        December 05, 2017 at 6:19 am

        Thanks Diane 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kaitie

      November 10, 2017 at 11:37 pm

      These look absolutely delicious!! I will have to make them next time company comes over 🙂

      Reply
      • Maria

        November 11, 2017 at 12:01 pm

        Great to hear! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    5. Colleen

      November 10, 2017 at 1:24 pm

      Haha, I just love the name of these delicious morsels. My French Canadian Mom used to make us a similar one growing up, and this makes me miss her. I will be trying these soon, thanks for posting!

      Reply
      • Maria

        November 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm

        I know exactly how you feel Colleen. I think that food is not only a vehicle that unifies us, it keeps the memories of our loved ones alive 🙂 Thanks for stopping by ♥

        Reply
    6. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices

      November 10, 2017 at 11:22 am

      5 stars
      I had never heard of this recipe with such a funny name, but I love it! Those flavors wrapped in that beautiful dough, what’s not to love? Your mom would be proud. Happy birthday to her, I’m sure she is smiling lovingly down at you <3 .

      Reply
      • Maria

        November 10, 2017 at 12:20 pm

        Thanks Nicoletta. This little baked pastry is truly a treat. Thanks for dropping by ♥♥♥

        Reply
    7. Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper

      November 10, 2017 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      I was never a big sweet person growing up, but I loved pet de soeur growing up in QC, so this is really intriguing to me since I’ve never tried making it myself. I will pin this to give it a try later. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Maria

        November 10, 2017 at 10:32 am

        My pleasure Gabrielle. Hope you get a chance to try it 🙂

        Reply
    8. Diane

      December 06, 2015 at 8:24 am

      Que de souvenirs …
      Merci Maria!!

      Reply
      • Maria

        December 06, 2015 at 9:20 am

        🙂 🙂 🙂

        Reply
    9. Mychele

      December 04, 2015 at 9:58 pm

      Mary,
      You know I look at your recipes on a weekly basis, and have tried many. I thank you for that. But tonight was special as I found the recipe for one of my mother in law’s famous cookies. Thank you so much. I am so excited to try this recipe.
      I will let you know if I do a good job, and make them as good as I remember hers. They were so delicious. Thank you.
      Mychele

      Reply
      • Maria

        December 05, 2015 at 7:39 am

        Hi Mychele
        I have so many wonderful memories when I think of this recipe and my mom. I hope I was able to interpret the ingredients as they were written by my mom to duplicate your mother-in-laws’ pets de soeur.
        I am also excited for you! I am sure you will do a great job!
        Thank you Mychele for your support and taking the time to comment 🙂

        Reply

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    Maria from She loves biscotti

    Hi, I'm Maria! a dietitian and full-time content creator. Join me as I share traditional Italian recipes from my youth to modern twists on classics using fresh and seasonal ingredients.

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