This year I got really ambitious and decided to try a little experiment. Homemade doggie treats that I could give not only to my own pups, but also as little extra gifts to friends and family with furry friends of their own. I have to say I am really pleased with the results, and everyone has been loving them!
Biscuit Recipe: 1 1/2 cups plain Quaker Oats, 1 3/4 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil), 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup natural peanut butter.
- Mix oats and wheat flour together. Add warm water, and olive oil and mix a bit, and last add peanut butter. Dough will be pretty thick at this point so I recommend kneading it with your hands to get a good mix going.
- Prepare a surface to roll your dough. I used foil on my counter. Make sure that the surface is lightly flowered, along with your rolling pin so the dough won't stick. I tried chilling the dough in between the mixing and rolling, but this makes it very tough to get to a nice thin and even layer. I'd recommend rolling it out right away. Try to roll it to a 1/4 inch or less. Thicker cookies will just need some extra baking time.
- Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees, and lightly grease a cookie sheet. Your baking at such a low temperature because your basically dehydrating the dough.
- Cut out your shapes, and then bake for 45 minutes, or until the cookies seem crisp and dry all the way through. For some of the bigger shapes you may have to bake a little extra. If the cookies are nice and crispy they'll stay fresh longer.
These treats are great because they're natural, and so inexpensive compared to buying at the pet store or doggie bakery. You could even eat one, although I wouldn't recommend it as they basically taste like super dry multi-grain bread.
I also decided to dip mine in some melted carob chips, a chocolate substitute that's dog friendly, and add a little bit of decoration to make them more festive. This is totally optional, trust me they like the cookies either way!
I got these at Whole Foods, and melted them in a chocolate candy maker. You can also melt them in a microwave or double boiler. I found the instructions online. Just search for "Doggie Treat Carob Icing"
It was two little nuggets birthdays a week ago, and as usual with all the Christmas hub-bub we didn't get around to doing anything to celebrate. So I made them a big bone cookie cake (with cream-cheese and banana filling). Not to brag, but they kinda love it.
Merry Christmas to you and your furry little nuggets!
love, emmy-ray
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