This week has gone to the dogs. Well, maybe not gone to the dogs, but it has been rainy and utterly blah outside. That leaves my somewhat pampered pooch stuck indoors instead of out on one of our walks. We both miss the outdoors and the fun times to be had there.
So to cheer both of us up a bit I decided to make some new treats for him. Yes, I make my own dog treats. My view on it is this; if I’m going to make a point to buy him a high quality dog food (which I do) why would I buy him treats that are sub-standard? So while a small portion of his treats may be store-bought, the majority are things I make for him. Cooking for my husband and is often cheaper than eating out or “complete meal” kits, and the same applies for dog treats. Also the dog has easier-to-please tastes and doesn’t require a lot of exotic ingredients. He isn’t even all that picky about texture. It’s also nice to be able to incorporate what’s seasonal and give him a little variety to his diet. I know I’d get sick of eating the same thing day in, day out. Borrrrrring. It’s also kind of fun to see how he examines and studies the treats before making short work of consumption.
Yummy Doggie Treats Not the best photo every, but you get the idea. Yes, I used cookie cutters. He’s spoiled.
Keep reading to see just how easy it is to make your own doggie pawsitively happy over these tasty goodies. I have to be honest and provide fair warning, if you ever make homemade treats like these once, expect someone to be looking for a second batch!
Blueberry Good Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 tbsp honey (local / raw is great)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour*
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp oil **
1 egg
2-4 tbsp water
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together the peanut butter, honey, egg, and oil until smooth. Add the oat flour, wheat flour, and cinnamon and stir to combine. The dough will be dry, so add water, one tablespoon at a time and mix after each spoonful until the dough holds together enough you can roll it out to cut. I added about 3 tablespoons. (Humidity can play a huge role in how much you need to add.) Stir in the blueberries.
Sprinkle a little wheat flour onto a work surface (in my case the kitchen counter) and roll out the dough. Cut into squares or use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Another case where the dog won’t care, but you might. I willingly admit I like my dog bone shaped cookie cutters.
Place the biscuits on the cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through cooking. The goal for these should be crunchy and somewhat golden. Once removed from the oven, allow them to cool completely on a rack before you give any to Fido, and store whatever isn’t immediately scarfed down either in the freezer for long-term storage or in a sealed bag/container.
* Don’t have oat flour handy? Yeah, neither did I. There’s an easy no-cost fix for that with an item you likely have in your pantry. Take the same amount of old fashioned rolled oats (or quick oats) and toss them in your food processor or blender for a quick spin. It shouldn’t take long before you have gone from oats to a powdery substance, a la oat flour.
** Your choice on the type of oil. I use organic coconut oil for a lot of my cooking, and have used it in this recipe. Olive oil works well too, but save the Extra Virgin premium money and use regular olive oil in this recipe. Trust me, your dog will not care. I would avoid grapeseed oil as grapes are on the “do-not-feed-fido” list from the ASPCA and I am not one to take a chance.
If your dog doesn’t love these, well… I’ll be really surprised!
Adapted from a recipe found here at Monster Cookie Cooking.
Half the recipe 