Simple 4-Ingredient Dog Treats
Pepper turned 2 this month; on April 5th to be exact. We’re actually very lucky that she’s around to celebrate her birthday. She ran away for 12 days at the beginning of 2019. She says she was training for “Naked and Afraid” but decided she liked the comforts of home better. Either way, she is resilient. This little 40-pound, Aussie-Whippet mix has seen the world…and is afraid of everything. Hence why she came home. It’s one of her quirks, but we love her for it.
For her birthday, I decided to make her homemade treats. Most dog treat recipes call for bananas or applesauce as a binder. I had neither so I made my own little recipe to compensate. The dough is drier and the final product is reminiscent of a traditional doggie biscuit as opposed to the softer cookie texture that is common for most homemade dog treats. Pepper loves them, your dog will love them, and you will love them because you know exactly what you’re feeding your pup.
Homemade Dog Treats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter*
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 - 3/4 cup chicken stock
*Make sure your peanut butter does not include Xylitol on the ingredient list. This sugar substitute is toxic to dogs.*
Preheat oven to 325°.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Start with 1/4 cup stock at first and add more as needed until dough begins to come together.
This will be a dry, crumbly dough, but it should hold together when molded into a ball with your hands. If the dough will not hold together, keep adding more chicken stock.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1/4” thick sheet. Cut out biscuits with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining dough. This made 18 biscuits.
Bake for 25 minutes then turn off the oven, leaving the biscuits in the oven to dry out for 30 minutes.
Remove the tray and let the biscuits cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Give to your good girls and boys and send me pictures of your pups with their treats!
To keep up with Pepper’s journey, follow her on Instagram!