We all love our dogs and sometimes we want to do something special for them. While you could just buy some dog treats from the store, treating your dog is a lot like treating a friend or family member; it feels better and more authentic if the treat was made at home. That’s where this guide comes in. Provided below are five notable examples of made-from-scratch doggy treats that you can easily make in your kitchen. These particular recipes were chosen because they can suit different seasons and even different dietary needs.
Peanut Butter/Coconut Oil Treats
Ingredients/Tools
• Peanut butter, all-natural, 1 cup
• Coconut oil (unprocessed), 1 tsp per 10 pounds of dog’s body weight
• Cinnamon, 1 tsp
• Paw print tray, ideally silicon
Directions
1. Make sure the oil is liquified. If it is still solid, place it in a small pan over medium-low heat until it has melted.
2. Add the other two ingredients, mixing everything up until you have a smooth and even blend. You want a thick consistency but not so thick that you cannot pour it into the tray.
3. Pour the mix into the tray and place the tray into the freezer until the treats firmly set.
4. Remove from the tray and store inside of an air-tight container within your freezer. You want to use the freezer and not the refrigerator because the oil and peanut butter mix will eventually revert back to liquid.
5. Grab a treat from the freezer whenever you wish to reward your dog.
Pumpkin Ginger Biscuits
Ingredients/Tools
• Whole wheat flour, 3 cups
• Ground ginger, 1/2 tsp
• Pumpkin, 1/2 cup
• Large egg (beaten), 1
• Coconut oil (melted), 1 tbsp
• Water, 1/4 to 1/2 cup
• Mixer
• Baking sheet
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. Combine flour and ginger.
3. In your mixer, combine the pumpkin, egg and oil, followed by the ginger-flour combination. Combine all of these ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture.
4. Turn your mixer onto low power and begin slowly adding water to the dry ingredients, no more than 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms but does not become sticky.
5. On a floured surface, roll your doggie dough down to 1’4″ thickness and cut into shapes with a 3″ cookie cutter.
6. Place the biscuits on un-greased baking sheets, giving each biscuit 2 inches of space.
7. Bake for 2.5 hours, just until the bottoms reach a light brown color and the biscuits feel firm when pressed; you may notice some cracking around the tops.
8. Cool the finished treats on a wire rack and store them in an airtight vessel.
Liver Treats (Perfect for Diabetic Doggies)
Ingredients/Tools
• Whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup
• Large eggs, 2
• Beef liver (cut into pieces), 1.5 lbs
• Food processor
• Jellyroll pan
• Parchment paper
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 10″x15″ jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
2. Place liver into the food processor, pulsing the meat until it is finely chopped.
3. Combine the other two ingredients with the liver, either by adding them to your food processor, if you have the space, and processing the mixture to a smooth consistency or by emptying the chopped liver into a bowl and stirring the flour and eggs together with it.
4. Evenly spread the mixture across the prepared jellyroll pan.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, just til the center firms up.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the mixture to cool.
7. Slice the liver mix into squares with a pizza cutter. The end product will feel somewhat like a kitchen sponge.
8. Store in an air-tight container.
Frozen Watermelon Treats
Ingredients/Tools
• Watermelon, 1/4
• Unsweetened coconut milk, one can
• Blender
• Optional: Bone-shaped ice molds
Directions
1. Scoop out the meat of the watermelon quarter.
2. Blend the scooped watermelon meat with the coconut milk.
3. Pour the watermelon-milk mixture into an ice cube tray or bone-shaped freezing molds if you prefer.
4. Allow the mixture to firmly set.
5. Dole out a cube/bone when you feel your dog has deserved it.
Apple-Pumpkin Treats
Ingredients/Tools
• Oatmeal, 4-4.5 cups, plus extra
• Apple (medium-sized), 1
• Large egg, 1
• Canned pumpkin, 1 cup
• Blender
• Baking sheet
• Optional: Bone-shaped dough cutter
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Grind the oatmeal in the blender. Move the ground oats to a mixing bowl.
3. Core the apple, making sure to extract the seeds.
4. Grate the cored apple and add it to the ground oatmeal.
5. Add the egg and pumpkin to the same bowl and mix everything until you have a uniformly thick, slightly sticky mass.
6. On an oatmeal-dusted surface, roll the dough out until it is roughly half an inch thick.
7. Use a bone-shaped cutter to cut these treats into shapes suitable for doggie treats and transfer the cut dough to a baking sheet.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes, just until you get a golden brown color and crispy texture.
9. Remove treats from the oven and let them cool down to room temperature.
10. If stored in an airtight container, these treats are good for up to one week.
