Top 21 Canadian Desserts

Beaver tails are sweet, flat, and thin Canadian pastries made from whole wheat flour. The dough is hand-stretched and shaped to look like a beaver's tail - unsurprisingly, one of Canada's national symbols. The shaped dough is fried (a technique referred to as float-cooking) on canola oil and smothered with butter and a variety of different toppings. Beaver Tails originated from a recipe created by Grant Hooker's family and have been served commercially since 1978. It is believed that the pastry evolved from a yeasty, wheaty dessert made from excess dough that was first made on early Canadian and American farms. Beaver Tails are always served hot and topped with cinnamon, sugar, and some lemon juice, which is the most popular option. Other toppings may include chocolate and hazelnut, maple syrup and butter, apple and cinnamon, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, jelly beans, bananas... The list goes on, as the possibilities are virtually infinite for this Canadian icon.Expand

Sugar pie is a popular dessert in France, Belgium, the United States of America, and Quebec, Canada. The dessert consists of an open pie without a top crust, filled with a combination of sugar, maple syrup, cream, butter, and a bit of salt. The pie is usually flavored with vanilla. The popularity of sugar pie throughout the world is due to the fact that many immigrants from Northern France and Belgium went to Canada, discovering maple syrup along the way, which was sometimes the only available sweetener. Today, sugar pie is a holiday favorite in Quebec, when it is usually topped with a dollop of whipped cream. In Indiana, there is a variation on the recipe called sugar cream pie, prepared with somewhat more cream and flour, making for a fluffier filling with a slightly different flavor.Expand

Pancakes are traditionally consumed across North America and Canada, made from a starchy batter, eggs, milk, and butter. Their origin is probably German, with the traditional Pfannkuchen recipe being brought by German immigrants who settled in the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The pancake has a similar appearance and flavor as the French crêpe but differs in diameter (5 to 10 cm) and thickness. The thickness is achieved by the use of a leavening agent, either baking soda or nutritional yeast. American and Canadian pancakes are typically served for breakfast, in a pile, topped with maple syrup and butter. They are often served with sides such as bacon, toast, eggs, or sausages. Other popular toppings include various jams, peanut butter, nuts, fruit, honey, cane syrup, and molasses. Spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg can also be added to the batter. The indigenous people of North America taught the European settlers how to collect and process maple syrup, and the practice was adopted and gradually improved. The Canadian province of Quebec is the greatest producer of maple syrup, producing about 76% of the world's output. In Canada, the syrup must be made exclusively from maple sap and must contain at least 66% sugar. Pancakes with maple syrup are a Canadian staple, a light, fluffy and sweet delight that can be found on virtually every street corner throughout Canada.Expand

Butter tart is a humble food that achieved iconic status in early 20th-century Canada. The filling is traditionally made with a combination of walnuts, eggs, brown sugar, butter, and white vinegar, and it's then placed into small, flaky, deep or shallow tart shells before baking. Early versions of the recipe, dating back to 1915, suggest that currants and raisins should also be included in the mixture. There are lots of theories about the origin of the tart – some say that it is related to pecan pie, which was brought to the country by American slaves, some say it evolved from Quebec's sugar pie, while others say it's linked to Border Tarts from southern Scotland. Regardless of their origin, butter tarts are nowadays especially popular in the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia. The color of baked tarts depends on the darkness of the brown sugar used, and the filling on the interior can be either solid or runny (for a runny tart, the cooking time is shortened).Expand

The name of this Canadian dessert literally translates to unemployment pudding—it originated in Quebec during the Great Depression, and was supposedly created by female factory workers. Being strapped for cash, they would prepare this recipe with stale bread as the base. Today, there are two classic ways to make it, both of which use a basic cake batter and either a homemade syrup or the store-bought maple syrup. In one variation the batter is poured over the syrup, whereas in the second the batter is covered by the syrup. Over time, pouding chômeur eventually became a popular diner dessert, and one of the main offerings at Canadian sugar shacks.Expand

A warm and light piece of traditional Canadian Saskatoon berry pie is a regional trademark, especially when accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on the side. It is made with Saskatoon berries, native to Western Canada, which grow from the Plains to the coast of British Columbia. The indigenous people of Canada used Saskatoon berries as a food source, grinding them into a paste and drying them for storage over the winter. Later, they were used in pemmican, pies, and various desserts. The city of Saskatoon in Canada is, in fact, named after these same berries, which are also protected by the Slow Food initiative. The pie is made from flour, pie pastry, butter, eggs, and Saskatoon berries (similar to blueberries, but harder and with smaller seeds, drier and earthier in flavor). Today, Canadian Saskatoon berry pie is served in many Saskatchewan and Alberta confectioneries and pastry shops as a signature dessert.Expand

Timbits are bite-sized doughnut holes made from leftover doughnut dough, fried in vegetable oil and available in a number of varieties such as yeast, cake, apple fritter, honey dip, old fashion plain, chocolate glazed, blueberry, strawberry, lemon, and filled timbits. They are sold in North American fast food chains such as Tim Hortons and Dunkin' Donuts. The bit in Timbit is an acronym for Big in Taste, which is an original campaign slogan from the 1970s. In Quebec, people prefer to use the generic term doughnut holes or trous de beigne instead of timbits. These tiny doughnut holes are so popular in Canada that people even bake them at home.Expand

Nanaimo bars are creamy, chocolatey dessert treats originating from Nanaimo, a city "so beautiful it's alright to stare". The same can be said for Nanaimo bars, layered cookies that don't need to be baked, consisting of a mixture of crushed graham crackers, coconut, and nuts acting as a base that is topped with a creamy, vanilla-buttery middle layer and finished with a layer of glistening, semi-sweet chocolate. Their origin is shrouded in a veil of mystery, and the only thing known about them is that they originate from Nanaimo, where the locals held a contest to find the best Nanaimo bar recipe. As to who chose to crush the biscuits and top them off with creamy custard and chocolate is still unknown. Satisfying both visually and in flavor, one ultra-sweet bar packs about 290 calories, so it is best to control yourself while eating "just one more...".Expand

Visually reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, pets de sœurs (lit. sister’s farts or nun’s farts) are French Canadian pastries with an unappetizing name. They consist of flaky pie crust dough that is rolled up with a paste of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. However, there are a few varieties, so brown sugar can be replaced with molasses or maple syrup. These sweet treats are especially popular during the festive Christmas season.Expand

This lovingly paired combination of a crumbly oatmeal base and the sweet and chewy date filling supposedly gets its name from an old custom of breaking the cake over the heads of newlyweds. However, matrimonial cake is known by different names throughout Canada, such as date squares, or date crumbles. It is believed that this humble dessert originated at a time when people couldn't afford the more expensive flour, so traditionally, there were always rolled oats used as a base, and fruit or sweetmeat used for the filling. This old Mennonite recipe seems to be an invention of the 1930s, hailing either from Manitoba or the neighboring Saskatchewan, though it was later popularized across the country.Expand

Mary Macleod’s Shortbread is a Canadian bakery renowned for its luxurious, handcrafted shortbread cookies, made according to the original recipe from 1981. The brand was founded by Mary Macleod, a woman who believed that the simplest things are often the most beautiful – as long as they're made with love and the finest ingredients. Mary started her business in a small workshop in Toronto, insisting that every cookie be hand-mixed and shaped, using only pure butter, flour, sugar, and carefully selected add-ins. The brand’s assortment includes both classic and modern variations of cookies – from the pure buttery original to those with chocolate chunks, pecans, caramel, hazelnuts, spices, and more. Today, nearly half a century later, the brand remains a symbol of quality, tradition, and refined indulgence.Expand

Gennaro’s Artisanal Alfajores is a Canadian artisanal confectionery specializing in handcrafted alfajores, traditional Latin American cookies. It was founded by Gennaro Rotondaro, a branding and design expert with decades of experience, who decided to combine his passion for high-quality treats with an artistic approach to crafting them. Their alfajores are made with two layers of soft cookies, generously filled with homemade dulce de leche caramel, coated in fine coconut powder, and dusted with powdered sugar. They are available in various versions, including those with golden wrappers and options for personalization for special occasions. Gennaro’s Artisanal Alfajores blends traditional flavors with a modern approach, offering a unique experience to dessert lovers around the world.Expand