Canoe Paddle Doughnuts

I am so excited to share this with you! Have you ever tried BeaverTails pastries before? I remember trying my first one during a family ski trip. We were ready for a break after the slopes and went looking for a snack. Right beside the sky lodge was a little cabin selling cinnamon sugar beaver tails. Ever since, I've been on a lookout for these cabins. They're not easily accessible to the because they're usually found in attractions like the zoo, Canada's Wonderland, CNE, or in cottage country. So having one is an extra treat, but now . . . I can make them at home! These Canoe Paddle Doughnuts from Canadian Living are so comparable that I don't think I would be able to tell the difference.

Canoe Paddle Doughnuts
Shopping List: granulated sugar, milk, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, cinnamon, butter, and lemons.

I poured the milk into a small saucepan and warmed it up on medium heat. When I could start feeling heat radiating off the top, I added the 1 tablespoon of sugar and stirred to dissolve. At this point, turn the stove off. You do not want your milk to start simmer, boil, or burn! Just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and help the yeast activate.

Transfer the milk and sugar mixture to a large bowl.

Add in the active dry yeast. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. It'll start to get frothy and look like pancake batter that's almost ready to flip in your frying pan.

While you're waiting, in another bowl, whisk together 2-1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt to remove any lumps.

Whisk eggs, oil, and remaining sugar into the yeast mixture.

Using wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the flour mixture until it's combined. Avoid any overly dry dough, it should be sticky all around.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours. Look at the rise on this dough! I tagged the progress using hot pink post-it notes.

After this point, you can continue on or store the bowl in the fridge for later use. I made mine over two nights. If you did keep the dough in the fridge, let it sit in room temperature for half an hour before you start working on it.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining 1/4 cup of flour until dough comes together. You'll need to work on the feel of the dough here. It should still be sticky, so you might not need all of the remaining flour.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape them into flat ovals with your hands. Place on a lightly floured surface, cover with tea towel, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Gently stretch out the dough to as thin as you can. The recommended thickness is 1/8-inch (3 mm). It's almost like making mini pizza dough!

If you're hesitant about deep frying or haven't done it before, I would recommend that you watch the how-to video. I don't have a lot of deep frying experience, but I went with a deep saucepan instead of a wok or deep fryer (don't own that appliance our of fear that all I would do is deep fry my food) and bought a deep fry thermometer (also a candy thermometer).

Pour enough oil to come about 2 inches (5 cm) up the sides and heat until deep-fryer thermometer registers at 375ºF (190ºC). Deep fry the canoe paddle doughnuts. Use tongs, they're super helpful here. I gently pressed down on the dough to make sure that it was frying evenly. And you'll need the tongs to help you turn the dough. Fry each side for 30 seconds.

When cooked, transfer the doughnuts to a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet to soak up the excess oil.

To make the cinnamon sugar topping, just whisk the sugar and cinnamon together on a large shallow dish or plate.

Brush one side of the doughnut with butter and place the buttered side down into the cinnamon sugar mixture. You'll need to turn it over and sprinkle cinnamon sugar to cover completely.

Serve with lemon wedges. Lemons are crucial. Yes, the canoe paddle doughnuts are good without them, but they're even better with a squeeze of lemon. This helps cut the sweetness and ensure that you can eat more than one. Because no one just has one doughnut!

Have some fun with your doughnuts! You're not limited to a cinnamon sugar topping. We spread Nutella and peanut butter on ours and topped them with bananas. You can add chocolate chips and your favourite bite-sized candies. And might we suggest savoury ones? Brie, nuts, honey, apples, and strawberries!

If you happen to have extra dough, store them with parchment paper separating each piece and keep refrigerated. I have a hunch they would freeze well, but I haven't tested it yet!

Share your Canoe Paddle Doughnut pics with @canadianliving on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #CLIMadeIt.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.