If
you are like most dog owners your 4-legged friend is part of the family
and as such you might want to make him some treats. The treats at the
grocery store are full of preservatives that are great if you want your
dog treats to last for years, but why not make some yourself that will
last a couple of weeks on the counter or a few months in the freezer.
With ingredients found in your pantry and about 10 minutes of your time
you can have some healthy dog treats in the oven.
Step 1
Gather up the following ingredients:
- 1 C. All-purpose flour
- ¼ C. Whole oats (not quick cook)
- ¼ C. of dried cranberries
- ½ T. baking powder
- ½ C. creamy peanut butter (organic if possible)
- ½ C. milk
- 1 T. Olive oil
- 1 T. applesauce.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, oats, cranberries
and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add the peanut butter,
milk, oil and applesauce to the dry ingredients and stir.
Step 3
Press the ingredients together and transfer them from the bowl to a
lightly floured counter. Knead the dough until it has come together
into a nice ball. If the dough seems too sticky add more flour a
tablespoon at a time until the consistency is no longer sticky. Set
dough on a sheet of waxed paper and dust the dough and a rolling pin
with flour and roll the dough out until it’s about ½ inch thick. Using a
bone shaped cookie cutter cut out the dog biscuits. If you don’t have a
bone shaped cookie cutter any other cutter will work.
Step 4
Transfer the cut-out shapes to an unlined baking sheet and bake for
20 minutes or until golden brown. The remaining dough can be rerolled
and cut into additional biscuits.
Step 5
When the biscuits have cooled completely store them in an airtight
container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up
to 6 months. Allow biscuits to sit out for 10 to 20 minutes before
serving from the freezer.
Tips
This recipe is adaptable, if your dog has an allergy to white flour
substitute for the same amount of rice flour and bake as directed.
According to the FDA’s Center for Veterinarian Medicine dogs should
not be given real bones to chew on, like those from a ham or roast.
Chewing on these bones could cause choking, broken teeth, tongue
injuries and many more. Dog biscuits are a safer option.
To dress up the dog biscuits for gift giving, dip one end of the dog
biscuit into some melted carob (artificial chocolate) and allow the
dipped biscuits to cool on a sheet of waxed paper until the carob has
hardened completely. Carob is safe for dogs, but you should
never give dogs real chocolate because some dogs may have a severe allergic reaction.
Fill a cellophane bag with some dipped dog biscuits and tie it with
some ribbon. Add the bag of biscuits to a basket filled with a ball, a
leash and some other fun dog gifts for a fun gift basket that would be
perfect for any dog lover, or give just the bag of biscuits to all of
your friends and neighbors who own dogs.
Make larger dog biscuits for bigger dogs and mini-sized biscuits for your petite dog friends.
With very little effort you can have homemade dog treats for your
dog. The benefits of making your own dog treats are that you can
control the ingredients, save money, customize the recipe to match your
dog’s preferences or dietary needs, and you can make as many as you
need. Try making some dog biscuits today and your pet will surely thank
you
