Doggy Valentines

Ready For The Oven

This year for Valentine's Day I decided to make the dogs a special treat. I came across this recipe from Tails Magazine and thought this would be a great way to break into the world of homemade dog treats.

What I liked about this recipe is that it used only six ingredients and was easy to make. The one thing I didn't like about it was the cook time (45 minutes) which is a little timely when you are using more than one cookie sheet.

Still, I found the smallest heart-shaped cookie cutters I had. It was a pretty easy

recipe to make. At times, I felt like I was making bread since you knead the dough. The true test were the dogs. All of them, including Gigi, absolutely loved it. One of the best things about making your own dog treats is that there are no preservatives added. Also, this was the one time I could snap a picture of all three dogs together without them fidgeting.

Get The Recipe

You can find the article through this link.

Let's Discuss!

Do you like to make dog treats for your dogs? What's your favorite kind?

Related Posts

Homemade Dog Treats Part I
http://tookooldoggies.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-handmade-dog-treats-part-ii.html
A Treat For Gigi

More Handmade Dog Treats Part II

*Photo from Tipnut.com

We are back again with some more recipes for those of you who enjoy creating treats from scratch. If you've never made your dogs homemade treats, these should be fun to try.

Oat and Cheese Bunny Cookies

This recipe appealed to me because it doesn't use anything processed. It comes from BunnyRooBeagle.com which is a site the owner dedicated to her sweet Beagle, Bunny Roo, who has dedicated the site in her memory.
Ingredients
1 Cup Quick cooking oats - (uncooked)
1 Cup Beef broth
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Vegetable oil
1 Cup Shredded cheddar cheese
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Wheat germ
3 Cups Whole wheat flour

Directions:
Mix everything in a large bowl. Add more flour if dough is not firm
enough. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with
desired cookie cutter (Bunny requested a rabbit shape for this
particular recipe). Place cuttouts on a lightly greased cookie
sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 55 minutes. Biscuits should be
firm to the touch. Turn off oven and leave biscuits in for 60
minutes or until hard.

Apple Carrot Nibbles

These are neat because you can mix them by hand. They are ideal if your dog is allergic to wheat also.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
2 eggs
3 tbsp molasses
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 ° F
In a medium bowl, stir together the rice flour, rolled oats, and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, grated carrot, eggs, and molasses.
Make a well in the medium bowl and pour in the applesauce mixture.
Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Drop teaspoon sized clusters on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Storing & Yield: These wheat free dog treats will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. They will be good in the freezer for 4 months. The yield is approximately 70 teaspoon sized treats. You can make them larger for a larger breed dog, just be sure to bake them an additional 5-10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit Recipe with Oatmeal

What's nice about this is that it's all natural and is easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour or rice flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth (I used smooth this time)
1 1/4 cups hot water
Additional flour for rolling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F
Mix dry ingredients together.
Mix in the peanut butter and hot water. You may need to add more water if the dough is too sticky.
Knead the dough well.
Roll out the dough into 1/4" thickness and cut into shapes with dog cookie cutters.
Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them cool overnight.
If you and your dog can't wait that long, cool them completely on a wire rack before serving.
After: The cookies get very hard, just the way dogs like them!

Dog Treats-Bacon Biscuit Yummies

I liked this recipe from dogrecipes.org because it's a great way to put that bacon grease to good use. There are times, my whole wheat flour does not get used, and this is a great way to make sure it won't go to waste.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 c. milk
½ c. water
10 TBSP bacon fat, melted
5 c. whole wheat flour

Directions:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your cookie (or baking )sheet.
In a good size bowl, beat the 2 eggs. Stir in the water, bacon fat and milk until everything’s well blended.
Slowly stir in the flour until you have a nice, stiff dough.
Using your hands, roll the dough into 2 inch balls.
Place the balls on the lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool & Serve!
By the way, you’re going to want to store these bacon-flavored biscuits in the fridge.
Makes 25 biscuits.

Garlic Dog Biscuit Treats

Garlic can be touch and go with dogs. I think the pure garlic is more dangerous than garlic powder or salt. Between onion and garlic, onion is more dangerous for dogs. Still, all dogs are different. If you are hesitant to use garlic, just check with your vet or leave it out.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 c powdered dry milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon **garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
6 tablespoon meat drippings
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup ice water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet.

Combine flour, dry milk, salt, garlic powder and sugar. Cut in meat drippings until mixture resembles corn meal.

Mix in egg. Add enough water so that mixture forms a ball.

Using your fingers, pat out dough onto cookie sheet to half inch
thick. Cut with cookie cutter or knife and remove scraps. Scraps can be formed again and baked.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from tray and cool on rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Flea Hater's Dog Biscuits

The recipe for this was originally from marthastewart.com. If your dog is a magnet for fleas and you get tired of the usual powders and flea collars, this may be a great alternative. Remember to use caution when using garlic.

Makes about 5 dozen bone biscuits
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer’s yeast (available at health-food stores)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped medium, or 1 teaspoon powdered garlic (optional**)
1/2 cup chicken stock plus 3 tablespoons for basting
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix flour, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine oil and garlic. Alternately add 1/2 cup chicken stock and flour mixture in 3 parts; mix until well combined. Knead about 2 minutes by hand on floured surface; dough will be sticky.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out bone shapes; place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, rotate baking sheet, and baste with remaining 3 tablespoons chicken stock. Bake 10 minutes longer. Turn off oven, leaving oven door closed. Leave pan in oven for 1 1/2 hours longer

Savory Cheese Treats

Lastly, as some of you know, I have a cat named Kat. This seemed simple to make and practical too. For all of you who enjoy the felines, I thought I would add this recipe in just for fun...

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1/4 cup cornmeal

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine cheeses and yogurt. Add flour and cornmeal. If needed, add a small amount of water to create a nice dough. Knead dough into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch. Cut into one inch sized pieces and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Many of the recipes use cookie cutters. You can use a simple round one for any of these but if you want something more dog-friendly you can find them at any of these places online:

Amazon
The Cookie Cutter
Cookie Cutters and More

Without these sites, none of these recipes would be possible:

Bunny Roo Beagle
Dog Treat Kitchen
Dog Treat Recipes.org
Gourmet Sleuth
Pet Place

You may want to check out this post if you missed it:
Homemade Dog Treats Part I

Well guys, thanks for stopping in. I'm going now to pick up the girls from the beauty shop. Have a great day!

Homemade Dog Treats Part I

There are many different dog treats on the market. With the U.S. economy being uncertain, people are cutting back where they can. Some of you may have dogs that are really finicky (like my Gigi). Others may love to bake for their dogs. This post is for all of those people and all the dog owners intrigued by the idea. Below are six recipes that I thought were the most practical and dog-friendly out of the many out there in the world on the internet. In fact, there are so many good ones out there, I had to make more than one post.

Munchy Crunchy Meat Treats

by Erik

This seems like it would be very tasty. (When buying baby food, make sure that it doesn't have a high concentration of onion powder.)
Ingredients
1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. honey
1/2 cup water
5 tsp. chicken or beef broth
1 jar baby food meat (any flavour)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients well. Form into a ball. Roll dough out on a floured surface. Cut out desired shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool. The treats should be hard and crunchy.

Favorite Dog Biscuits

These seem healthy yet tasty. Also the creator of this recipe has an excellent breakdown of the ingredients.

People can eat these too, but the sugarless dough is bitter before baking to its toasty flavored hard-texture which rivals that of bones. Peanut butter is used for flavor, egg as a binder, cereal for texture, powdered milk for nutrition and garlic for flea prevention. No salt or cornmeal since cornmeal is difficult to digest. If your dog can't tolerate eggs, add additional water to make a dough that is just slightly sticky.

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups multi-grain oatmeal or old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/4 cups water
1 large egg (or omit and use water - see note above)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
peanut butter to taste


Adjust a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 275 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the flour, oats, wheat germ and powdered milk in a large bowl to blend thoroughly. Blend water, peanut butter and egg in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add garlic to dry ingredients, then add all dry ingredients to wet and stir until blended.

Dough will be stiff, so use your hands- it will be easier. roll or pat dough into a 1/2 inch thickness, cut our biscuit shapes with a 3-inch bone shape cookie cutter. Reroll scraps and continue until dough is gone. Place cookies on baking sheet and bake for about 90 minutes. For crisper, drier biscuits bake a total of three hours.

Store well-dried biscuits in an air-tight container - leave the container open for a few days to make sure they are completely dry.

Yield: three dozen

Tempting Training Chews

This one seems like it wouldn't be hard, and has an interesting combination of ingredients. Applesauce and grated cheese (my guess is parmesan would be a good bet)--Who knew?


Ingredients

2 1/3 cup flour- whole wheat or all purpose
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup non-fat powdered milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Roll the dough out to size of a cookie sheet.Place on lightly greased sheet. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and create small pieces. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let cool for a few hours. The treats will keep hardening the longer that you leave them. Break apart. Store covered. You can also freeze them. For training dogs use small sizes.

Heavenly Health Dog Biscuits

by KT Baldie

This was created for dogs who are allergic to corn or wheat. Some dogs are just as allergic to corn as they are wheat. My brother's Chinese Crested Harry, is practically allergic to everything. For those of you who have been looking for a treat, for these types of dogs, this may do the trick.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup golden flax seeds
2/3 cup brewers' yeast
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup brown rice flour
2 cups oat flour
2 tablespoons organic raw sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two cookie sheets.
Combine oats, flax seeds, brewer's yeast, cheese, rice flour, oat bran flour and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together chicken broth and eggs; mix with oat mixture to make a fairly stiff dough.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then flatten into discs. (Or, roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/4 or 3/8 inch thick and cut into 1-inch x 1 1/2-inch rectangles.) Place on cookie sheets 3/4 inch apart.
Bake until dry and the edges turn a light golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool before serving.

Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

Even though this has salt, the brown sugar and vanilla seem to balance it out. It looks really intriguing because dogs seem to love both of the main ingredients.

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups regular oats, uncooked
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup wheat germ
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled

Combine flour, soda and salt; mix well and set aside. Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mixing well. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 16 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for a minute or so before removing to cooling rack.

Veggie Bones

This is a good choice for vegetarians who like their dogs to be the same. The ingredients seem to be easy to get and are very practical too.

Ingredients
3 cups minced parsley
1/4 cup carrots, chopped very fine
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons bran
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup of water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack on middle level. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Stir together parsley, carrots, cheese, and oil. combine all the dry ingredients and add to veggies. Gradually add 1/2 cup of water, mixing well. Make a moist but not wet dough. If needed, add a little more water. Knead for one minute.

roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Using cookie cutter or a glass, cut out the shapes and transfer them to the baking sheet. Gather the scraps and reroll and cut.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until biscuits have browned and hardened slightly. (They will harden more as they cool.) Speed cooling by placing them on wire racks. Store in airtight tin.

Here are the websites I used for this post, in case you would like something else to try:

All Recipes
Homemade Dog Treats
Dog Park.com
Bullwrinkle

Also, if biscuits aren't your style, you may want to check out doggy ice cream. Well thanks for stopping by. Don't be shy about leaving comments as you know I love to hear from you.