Canadian Beaver Tails: The Best Kind Of Treats
Are you looking for the perfect dessert to take to your next potluck party? Look no further. This recipe for Canadian Beaver Tails is sure to impress all of your friends and family.
When I first tried this recipe, I was surprised by how easy it was to make. Plus, there’s no baking involved! I’ve shared my recipe here with some tips on how to prepare it correctly so that yours turns out perfectly every time!
What is Canadian Beaver Tails
The Canadian Beaver Tail is a fried dough pastry that originated in Quebec. It’s also known as a sugar twist or beavertail, and is a popular treat at fairs and festivals across Canada. It can have various toppings—choose from cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, chocolate sauce or caramel—but it’s most commonly served with vanilla icing.
Ingredients
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg, vanilla, salt and baking powder until well combined (do not over, mix). Stir in flour just until combined (do not over mix). Add milk; stir until dough forms a ball (should be quite soft but not sticky). If the dough is too crumbly to form into balls, add a bit more milk or water as needed.
- Roll 1/4 cup portions of dough into balls; put on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart (if you make them too close together they will flatten out too much when baked). Bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned around edges but still pale in center (the centers will continue cooking after removing from oven). Cool completely on wire rack before filling with whipped topping if desired.
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour batter into donut maker pan or mold (we use a non, stick silicone donut mold), filling each cup 3/4 full for mini donuts, 1/4 cup for regular sized donuts, and 1/8 cup for mini bitesize Beaver Tails snacks!
- Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions until done: about 2 minutes for mini bite size snacks! or 3 minutes for regular sized donuts; 5, 7 minutes if using a standard deep fryer filled with 350F oil (or follow package instructions). 5 minutes total cooking time at 350 degrees F is ideal as it produces a golden brown color with slight crispness on the outside while maintaining moistness inside, results may vary depending on your taste preferences! 6) Remove from heat; allow cooling before dipping in chocolate topping or other toppings of choice such as sprinkles & nuts etc.
Cooking Notes
- Make sure to use a deep fryer
- Use the right oil
- Use the right temperature (350 degrees F)
- Do not over crowd your fryer with Beaver Tails at one time, as this will cause them to stick together and lower the cooking time for all of them, as well as increase your chance of burning some of them because they are in contact with each other
- Check your Beaver Tail frequently while frying so that you can take out any pieces that are done before others
Pro Tip
First, don’t overfill the pan with batter. It’s true that you want plenty of it to form the beaver tail shape, but too much will make your pastry hard to flip and handle. Next, don’t overstuff your pans with batter or dough (or toppings). Beavers love simplicity and know how important it is to keep things simple in life. That’s why their favorite food is bread made into animal shapes instead of complicated pastries filled with all kinds of ingredients like sausage balls and potato sticks fried up fresh off an old oil drum.
Add, ins and Variations
Once you’ve got your dough, you’ll want to decide what kind of toppings and fillings you’d like. The options are endless! Some popular choices include:
- Ice cream (various flavors)
- Syrup (hot fudge, caramel, strawberry, etc.)
- Filling (chocolate or peanut butter)
- Nuts (peanuts or walnuts)
I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s so easy to make and tastes great, plus it is just as good warm or cold. I like to serve ours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top but feel free to mix it up with any toppings you prefer.
