With all this chatter about Valentines Day goodies making the foodblog rounds, I got to thinking: wouldn’t the furry friends in our lives also appreciate a token of our affection? Methinks yes, and Oreo (our Labrador Retriever) wholeheartedly agreed when I asked her. So I decided to whip up something to satisfy her canine tastebuds. In the end I made two varieties of treats: the Oatmeal & Peanut Butter ones pictured below; and Chicken Flavored Biscuits, which are only slightly pictured because Oreo is in the process of eating them.
Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Treats
About 1/4 of a Chicken Flavored Treat
The first recipe is a combination of three or four recipes I found on the internet, while the second one was given to me several months ago by a friend named Jane. Oreo loves them both and baking for your dog has an added bonus: you don’t have to worry about eating everything you’ve made! Guilt-free baking at its best.
Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Dog Treats (My Recipe)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain mashed potatoes. (I used Hungry Jack mashed potato mix and used water to cook the flakes. Replace the milk with water and omit the butter and salt.)
- 1 cup of oats
- 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water + sprinkling of white sugar
- 1 egg
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put the warm water in a small bowl then sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
In the meantime mix the potato, oats and 1 cup of the flour in a large bowl. Add the peanut butter and egg. Add the yeast mixture, combine well, then allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 more cup of flour. Mix until a stiff dough has formed.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, sprinkling with the remaining 1/2 cup flour as you go, until the dough is smooth (wheat grains aside) and only very slightly sticky. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters (I used heart shaped ones but bone shapes would be cool, cat shapes hysterical!) wiggling the cutter a little when you press it into the dough.
Place cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until treats on firm to the touch (i.e. unlike human cookies they should be relatively hard). When they are finished allow them to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Chicken Flavored Dog Biscuits
Recipe courtesy of Jane, whose blog is, alas, no longer active.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter
- A dash of garlic powder & oregano (NOT raw garlic and never onion anything)
- 2 tbs corn oil
- 1/2 cup chicken (or beef) broth
- 2 eggs, mixed with 1/4 cup powdered skim milk
- 1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, oregano, and peanut butter. Add oil, broth and egg mixture. Mix well, the dough should be firm. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
