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 (also called Beavertails) 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!
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What are Beaver Tails?
What I remember from my younger days is those 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?
Reader Feedback
“I made this for my family of 5 and we finished the 25 serving recipe in one night! We added a bit of our own toppings to give it a bit more of a punch. But overall this was a really amazing recipe for beaver tails!!!”
~ Ell
Deep Frying Oils
When it comes to Deep Frying food you want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point and neutral in flavor so it won’t affect the flavor of whatever you are frying. Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil and Peanut Oil are some of the more popular and affordable options.
When I started writing my Recipe Book 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 use 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.
Instant Yeast vs Active Dry Yeast
Instant Yeast Does not need to be dissolved in water before use and can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients. On the other hand, Active Dry Yeast has to be dissolved in warm water with a bit of sugar before use to ensure it’s alive.
Does Yeast Go Bad?
Active Dry Yeast can go bad since it’s a living organism. It typically has a shelf life of 1–2 years when stored properly. To check if your yeast is still active, dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of warm water. Add 1 packet of active dry yeast, stir, and wait for 5–10 minutes. If the mixture becomes frothy and bubbly, the yeast is still good. If not, it’s time to replace it.
Instant Yeast has a longer shelf life than active dry yeast but can still go bad. To test it, Dissolve ½ teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of warm water. Stir in 1 teaspoon of instant yeast. Wait 5-10 minutes. If the mixture foams and bubbles, the yeast is still active. If nothing happens, it’s time to replace it.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Active Yeast – make sure it is not expired
- White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
- Milk – I use 2% milk
- White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
- Salt – a must for most recipes
- Vanilla Extract – you can use store-bought or my Instant Pot Homemade Vanilla Extract or my Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
- Eggs – fresh large eggs as much as possible
- Canola Oil – you can also use vegetable oil
- All Purpose Flour – I mostly use King Arthur but use what you got (no affiliation)
- Corn Oil – or any other suitable deep frying oil
- White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
- Ground Cinnamon – adds a warm, sweet, and slightly woody flavor
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails
Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water, and 1/4 Tsp 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 1/3 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 it to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
Make the Beaver Tails
- 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°F.
- Stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beaver’s 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.
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Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails
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Ingredients
- ½ Cup Water, warm
- 5 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
- ¼ Tsp White Sugar
- 1 Cup Warm Milk
- ⅓ Cup White Sugar
- 1 ½ Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- ⅓ Cup Canola Oil
- 5 Cups All Purpose Flour
- Corn Oil
- White Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water and 1/4 Tsp of sugar. Allow to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell and dissolve. Depending on various factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) this could take as long as 10 minutes.
- Add the 1/3 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 warm towel on top of 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 dough. (If 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 floored 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 fryer (or whatever you usually use for frying). 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 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.
I am in the process of making these. I’m sure they’ll turn out great, but I halved the recipe only used 1 packet of yeast – the recommended amount seems really excessive. I’m a seasoned baker and have never come across a recipe that calls for so much.