Well now that we have a little one, I figured it was time for me to be a good owner and create some treats for little Ewok. Sure there’s tons of treats at the store, but they are usually full of crap I can’t pronounce. There’s even gourmet dog treats at some stores and an entire store in Little Rock dedicated to gourmet dog treats, but I don’t buy anything for myself labeled gourmet, so I’m sure as heck not going to spend hard earned cash on fancy treats when I can make them at home. For any basic dog biscuit, you’re pretty much always going to use wheat flour, and probably oats. The recipe I am going to give you makes chicken flavored biscuits, but you could easily make them beef flavored, or even add a little peanut butter and molasses to make a sweet dog cookie. In other words, it’s not hard, and there’s no reason it should be expensive to give your dog a good homemade treat. Just remember—NO CHOCOLATE EVER EVER EVER EVER.
the basics
Ingredients (beware these measurements make a big batch. I’m freezing my dough to use for later and to give to friends. It should keep in the freezer for a couple of months, so feel free to freeze some or cut these ingredients down to suit what you need)
- 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 cups of quick oats
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth (you could do water but it’s not as flavorful)
- 1/4 cup of corn or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 small jar of chicken flavored baby food
Hand mix all of these ingredients, then refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. I do this with all cookies, whether they are for humans of dogs. The take sections of the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use your hands or rolling pin to flatten it out to about 1/4 and inch in thickenss, then cut into whatever shapes you need. You can use a cute cookie cutter if you like. I had to cut mine into tiny squares because I have a dog that’s able to fit into one hand. But if you have a bigger dog, simply make a bigger treat.
tiny treats for a tiny dog
Bake them at 375 for 8-10 minutes. They will feel done on the outside but not hard all the way through. I seal his up in a plastic bag and will keep them for about a week. They actually stay soft even after a day or two, which is something I have yet to accomplish with cookies for human consumption. Maybe it’s the baby food………. Either way, this little guy enjoys them, and they’ve been a good addition to our potty training treat selection.
Happy Fall!
He gives that idea a high five.