What dog doesn’t love a good dog treat? Exactly! In honor of International Dog Biscuit Day (February 23), we have rounded up some delicious recipes for you to try at home. The great thing about making treats yourself is you can tweak the recipe as needed for your dog allergies or dietary needs.
Erica Kei for Fetch! Pet Care’s Funfetti Doggie Donuts
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 2 tbs oat bran
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp dry yeast
- 1 cup yogurt coating (icing)
- 1 tbs party sprinkles or bulgur
[Editor’s note: we don’t recommend sprinkles due to the sugar content. Bulgur would be much healthier or skip altogether]
Directions:
Funfetti Doggie Donut Recipe (makes about two dozen doggie donuts):
Place all ingredients in mixer and mix with a dough hook. When the dough is ready, separate it into three batches. Roll the dough into ½” sheets onto a well-floured surface. Take your donut cutter and cut the donuts. You’ll want to be sure your cutter has flour on it for each cut you make. Place the donuts on a silpat on a large baking sheet. Cover the donuts with a clean, dry towel, and leave on the counter for about an hour to rise. Turn your oven to 300 degrees F and bake for one hour. After an hour has passed, simply turn the oven off and leave the donuts in the oven overnight to harden. These donuts are cookie-like, so they should be firm to the touch – unlike your traditional human donut which has a little give to it.
Place the donuts on a baker’s cooling rack and coat with the icing using a pastry brush. Once the icing has hardened a bit, but is still sticky, then gingerly add your party sprinkles. If you are in a warmer climate, you may want to pop the now yogurt coated doggie donuts in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes to harden. Be sure to check that they don’t harden too much so that your sprinkles will stick.
Now the fun part… invite your pup’s best pals over for a playdate and reward them with this special homemade treat!
Recipe for Yogurt Coating (icing): 2 cups plain yogurt with 2 tsp honey mixed in.
Erica Kei manages the online marketing for Fetch! Pet Care, the Nation’s Largest and most trusted provider of professional dog walking and pet sitting services. She resides in San Francisco along with her two dogs Dolce and Finn. To find a Fetch! Pet Care location near you, visit FetchPetCare.com.
Kerry Dunnington’s Milk And Molasses Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rye flour
- ¼ cup corn flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, rye flour, corn flour, salt and sunflower seeds.
- In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, molasses, eggs and milk. Mix until well blended. Add mixture to dry ingredients.
- Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead (the dough is dense) for 2-3 minutes to fully incorporate the dough. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough out to approximately ½-inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit or bone-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn the oven off, but keep in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Kerry Dunnington’s Barley And Wheat Germ Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup barley flour
- ½ cup dry milk powder
- ½ cup raw wheat germ
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ – ¾ cup water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, barley flour, dry milk powder, wheat germ and brown sugar.
- Stir in egg, oil and ½ cup water. Combine until well incorporated. If dough seems dry, add an additional ¼ cup of water.
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. Roll dough to about ½-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit or bone-shaped cookie cutter..
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake biscuits for 30 minutes. Cool them on a wire rack before transferring to an airtight container.
Kerry Dunnington is a five-time national award winning cookbook author and of course a dog lover. KerryDunnington.com http://www.kerrydunnington.com
Denine & Daniele’s Star Wars Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato or yam, cooked
- 2 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup flour, for rolling out your dough
To get the complete recipe, go to Denine and Daniele’s blog, We Know Stuff. http://www.weknowstuff.us.com/2016/01/star-wars-dog-treats-sweet-potato-and-bacon.html
Chloe Coscalelli’s PUPCakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tea baking soda
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup vegan carob chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a mini cupcake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil, water and vinegar. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cup about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out dry. Let the cupcakes cool completely, then run a knife around the rum of each cupcake cup and gently unmold.
- Melt carob chips in a double boiler or microwave. Whisk until smooth and spread a thin layer on each cupcake. Let set and serve to the pups. Depending on the size of your dog you may want to cut the cupcake in half or quarters to serve.
- PUPcakes can be made in advance and frozen, for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.
Recipe Credit: Chloe’s Vegan Desserts (Simon & Schuster 2013) by Chloe Coscarelli
Toledo, United States.
