Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

Published on March 19, 2017 - Updated on December 11, 2021 by Chef Rodney - 33 Comments - This post may contain affiliate links.

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A great pastry from my childhood. These beavertails were a must have growing up in Ottawa, Canada and going skating on the Rideau Canal.

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails? What the heck is that and what is it doing on my Food blog? Well because Canadian Beaver Tails are a popular pastry (basically fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar) from my birthplace of Ottawa, Canada (home of the NHL Hockey Team the Ottawa Senators). They are so good that I think everyone needs to try a beaver tail once in their lifetime.

Growing up in Ottawa, I spent many hours skating on the world's longest skating rink, the Rideau Canal. They used to have these little huts on the world's longest outdoor skating rink that sold coffee, hot apple cider, and beaver tails!

What I remember from my younger days is that beavertails were a yummy pastry that you could get with different toppings like jam, sugar and cinnamon or garlic and cheese. Apparently, it's now big business. But why bother when you can make your own at home with simple ingredients?

When I started writing my cookbook and launching this food blog, I was on a mission to find an authentic Beaver Tail recipe. After experimenting with different techniques, this is the recipe that I believe is the closest to the beavertails I had 40 yrs ago. So whether you spell it beaver tails or beavertails, this is one pastry recipe you will not want to miss!

💭 Ingredient Substitution

I often used Canola Oil when I am deep frying but you can use whatever type of oil you have on hand as long as it has a neutral flavor. Vegetable Oil is fine as well as Peanut Oil except the latter is usually more expensive. I like to buy my oil in bulk at Costco.

By the way, have you tried one of the most popular recipes on this blog yet? Then you must try my Cinnamon Donut Bread recipe. Similar to this beaver tail recipe in that they are both cinnamon sugar-coated. Looking for another delicious pastry dessert you can make in the comfort of your own kitchen? Then check out my Awesome Baklava recipe.

While you are here I suggest you check out all my other delicious Canadian Recipes. Some of the recipes are new while others are well over 50 years old but they all originated in Canada.

For more great recipes like this one, I suggest you check these recipes out:

📋 What Ingredients do I need

You will need the following ingredients for this Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Active Yeast, White Sugar, Milk, White Sugar, Salt, Vanilla Extract, Eggs, Canola Oil, All Purpose Flour, Corn Oil, White Sugar and Ground Cinnamon.

🥣 How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water, and ¼ teaspoon of sugar. Allow the water mixture to stand for a couple of minutes to allow the yeast to swell and dissolve. Depending on various factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) this could take as long as 10 minutes.
Add the ⅓ Cup of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt, and most of the flour to the yeast mixture. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes using a dough hook, adding flour as needed to form a firm smooth, elastic dough.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Place a warm towel on top of the bowl and "seal". If you are not going to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate the dough at this point. Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Gently deflate the dough. (If the dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
Pinch off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. Roll out onto a floured surface into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining dough.
Heat about 4 inches of corn oil in the fryer (or whatever you usually use for frying). The temperature of the oil should be about 385 degrees.
Stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beavers tail, thinning them out and enlarging them as you do. Add the dough pieces to the hot oil one at a time.
Turn the beaver tail once to fry until both sides are a deep brown. Lift the beaver tails out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
Fill a large bowl with a few cups of white sugar and cinnamon. Toss the beaver tails in the sugar mixture, coating both sides and then shake off the excess.