Doggy treats.
OMG, my kitchen smells really good right now. Like garlic cheddar biscuits. The source of the fabulous scent? The dog treats I'm currently baking. Buddy had one from the first batch and gave it two paws up. If you're interested, here's the recipe for these and for the peanut butter treats I made just over a week ago (also very well received by Buddy).
Today I used gingerbread man and star shaped cut outs, but last time I just use a glass to cut out rounds. If you have a small dog, you might want to make smaller treats. I did see some "mini" cookie cutters the other day which would be great for little dogs. And I've seen bone-shaped cookie cutters online. Whatever the size, just watch them in the oven the first time so you don't overbake. I don't like burnt cookies and I don't imagine dogs do either.
What I really like about making these is a) not really expensive and b) I get to control the ingredients. I can use organics if I want and control the preservatives and fat content. It's no more time consuming than making cookies with your kids. And if you have kids, you can have them make these with you for the dog.
Cheese Dog Treats
4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3 tsp. garlic powder*
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 C. shredded cheese
1 1/4 C. milk
Combine flour and garlic powder in large bowl. Gradually stir in oil, cheese, beaten egg, milk, and blend well. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut out treats and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes at 400 F.
Cool before storing. Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness.
* Garlic, like onions, can be toxic to dogs in large amounts. If you have a smaller dog definitely leave this out. For medium- and large-size dogs, this amount should be okay, but feel free to omit. It's just there for a little extra flavor and not necessary to the recipe.
Note from me on making these: I roll my dough out to a little less than 1/4" -- like I would for cookies. For timing, you can see when the cheese is browning that they're done. My batches today took about 20 mins rather than 25 (due to being somewhat thin).
Peanut Butter Treats
2 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. all purpose flour
1 1/4 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/4 C. peanut butter
1 C. milk
Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
Combine milk and peanut butter in a separate bowl and mix until smooth.
Gradually stir peanut butter mixture into flour in the larger bowl.
Knead dough by hand and roll out on floured surface to desired thickness. Cut out treats.
Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400 F.
Cool before storing. Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness.
Note from me on these: I used organic peanut butter when I made these and I don't know if it was my PB or the elevation or what, but I had to add extra milk to make the dough workable. It was too dry and crumbly at first. I'm going to try "regular" PB next time and see how it compares. My advice for your first try with these would be to hold back about 1/4 C. of both flours and slowly add some of each at the end if the dough is too moist.
ETA: The cheese ones are so well liked that I just caught Buddy with both front paws on the kitchen counter where there's a batch cooling. *shakes head* Sometimes there are downsides to having such a big dog. I'm not even sure why he needed to get his paws up there, he's tall enough to just reach over with his big head.
For further recipes, check out these resources:
http://www.gooddogexpress.com/recipes.html (where these two came from and they have bone cookie cutters)
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_dogbiscuit.html (haven't tried these yet)
http://www.twodogpress.com/dogfood.html (haven't tried either, but has helpful info on bad foods for dogs)
And finally, anyone feeding their pets a "natural" diet? Where you prepare meat and raw veggies and stuff? If so, drop me a comment.
Today I used gingerbread man and star shaped cut outs, but last time I just use a glass to cut out rounds. If you have a small dog, you might want to make smaller treats. I did see some "mini" cookie cutters the other day which would be great for little dogs. And I've seen bone-shaped cookie cutters online. Whatever the size, just watch them in the oven the first time so you don't overbake. I don't like burnt cookies and I don't imagine dogs do either.
What I really like about making these is a) not really expensive and b) I get to control the ingredients. I can use organics if I want and control the preservatives and fat content. It's no more time consuming than making cookies with your kids. And if you have kids, you can have them make these with you for the dog.
Cheese Dog Treats
4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3 tsp. garlic powder*
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 C. shredded cheese
1 1/4 C. milk
Combine flour and garlic powder in large bowl. Gradually stir in oil, cheese, beaten egg, milk, and blend well. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut out treats and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes at 400 F.
Cool before storing. Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness.
* Garlic, like onions, can be toxic to dogs in large amounts. If you have a smaller dog definitely leave this out. For medium- and large-size dogs, this amount should be okay, but feel free to omit. It's just there for a little extra flavor and not necessary to the recipe.
Note from me on making these: I roll my dough out to a little less than 1/4" -- like I would for cookies. For timing, you can see when the cheese is browning that they're done. My batches today took about 20 mins rather than 25 (due to being somewhat thin).
Peanut Butter Treats
2 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. all purpose flour
1 1/4 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/4 C. peanut butter
1 C. milk
Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
Combine milk and peanut butter in a separate bowl and mix until smooth.
Gradually stir peanut butter mixture into flour in the larger bowl.
Knead dough by hand and roll out on floured surface to desired thickness. Cut out treats.
Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400 F.
Cool before storing. Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness.
Note from me on these: I used organic peanut butter when I made these and I don't know if it was my PB or the elevation or what, but I had to add extra milk to make the dough workable. It was too dry and crumbly at first. I'm going to try "regular" PB next time and see how it compares. My advice for your first try with these would be to hold back about 1/4 C. of both flours and slowly add some of each at the end if the dough is too moist.
ETA: The cheese ones are so well liked that I just caught Buddy with both front paws on the kitchen counter where there's a batch cooling. *shakes head* Sometimes there are downsides to having such a big dog. I'm not even sure why he needed to get his paws up there, he's tall enough to just reach over with his big head.
For further recipes, check out these resources:
http://www.gooddogexpress.com/recipes.html (where these two came from and they have bone cookie cutters)
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_dogbiscuit.html (haven't tried these yet)
http://www.twodogpress.com/dogfood.html (haven't tried either, but has helpful info on bad foods for dogs)
And finally, anyone feeding their pets a "natural" diet? Where you prepare meat and raw veggies and stuff? If so, drop me a comment.