Making homemade snacks for your four-legged friend is a breeze with this simple peanut butter dog treat recipe. Pups will love the peanut butter flavor!
Did you know that homemade dog treats are crazy easy to make? Yup! I actually just found out myself a few weeks ago. I got inspired after reading the ingredient list on a few natural treats that I bought for Olive and decided it couldn’t be that hard to make them myself.
And it’s not! The dough can be whipped up in a flash with everyday ingredients you probably have sitting in your pantry right now.
The only time consuming part is using a cookie cutter to cut out whatever shape you want, but I didn’t mind because it’s kind of relaxing. Plus all I could think about the entire time is how tiny and cute these mini bones are.
Seriously, how cute are they?
I used this mini bone cookie cutter so the bones are about 1 1/2 inches — just Olive’s size!
I’m actually worried I might be quickly becoming a crazy dog lady because I’ve already made THREE batches!! Some are for Olive, but we’ll definitely be gifting some to Olive’s friends over the holidays as well.
I’ve given homemade baked goods for holiday gifts, but never thought to do the same with homemade pet treats. I’m not sure why because homemade dog treats are perfect for dog-lovers. Your friends and family will love that you thought of their furry four-legged friend and the treats will keep their pets happy for days!
The recipe I used is really straight-forward with only four simple ingredients:
- The base is whole wheat flour (all-purpose works but whole wheat is more nutritious). You can also use a gluten-free option like sorghum, oat or garbanzo bean flour.
- Peanut butter for some healthy fat and flavor.
- Apple sauce or mashed banana for a little sweetness.
- Veggie or chicken stock to moisten the dough and add flavor.
Once mixed together the dough is really easy to work with. Simply roll it out on parchment paper, cut the dough into desired shape and bake. That’s it!
The great part about this recipe is that you know exactly what’s in the treats and you can feel good about the fact that there’s no preservatives, additives or funky ingredients.
The treats have been taste-tested by at least three dogs (and a few humans) — two paws up all around! We don’t really feed Olive people food so I wasn’t sure if she liked peanut butter, but after having her taste-test these treats there’s no denying that she’s a fan. I guess she takes after her parents considering both Isaac and I are peanut butter fanatics.
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce or mashed banana
- ¼ cup vegetable, chicken or beef stock
- bone shaped cookie cutter
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine flour, peanut butter and apple sauce in a large mixing bowl. Add stock and stir until well-combined. The dough will be thick. Once combined use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Place dough ball on a flat service (with a sprinkle of flour if needed) and roll out evenly with a rolling pin. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into desired shape and place on ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Store in an airtight container.
I used a mini bone shaped cookie cutter because Olive is small (6 pounds), but you could use a bigger cookie cutter to make treats for larger dogs. I think I might actually buy this little set so I have a few different sizes and shapes.
Do you give your pets gifts for the holidays?
The post Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats appeared first on Eating Bird Food.