The holidays are upon us—several heavily food-focused holidays to be precise—and while we may find ourselves chowing down on all our comfort favorites, there’s a special friend being left out…the dog!
Dog is man’s best friend. That’s an adage as old as time so let’s share the delicious goodness that is Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and birthdays, etc. in a safe, dog-friendly way—by gifting them special treats of their own!
Dog treats from the store can be expensive. QUALITY dog treats can be even more so. But they don't have to be. This recipe is basically a three ingredient cookie recipe—combine the dough, roll the dough, cut out shapes, and bake. Done and done.
The secret ingredient—pureed baby food. If you have a good food processor, you can make your own but baby food is a great alternative as it’s easy to keep on hand and available in so many flavors.
These homemade dog treats are crazy simple and can be adjusted to any dog’s flavor preferences. Just switch out or mix-and-match the pureed food you are using.
For this batch I went with sweet potato. It’s a not-so-secret favorite of @cooperandpuddles.
When I was making these, Puddles was practically ripping them off the counter trying to eat them! Not unexpectedly as he is essentially the height of the kitchen counters, but I guess dogs love unbaked cookie dough too.
Needless to say he gives this recipe TWO PAWS UP!
And I bet if he could have done four paws, he would have. :)
Making special treats for your loving furry friend is an uncomplicated way to show them you care. Each is homemade with love!
If it’s a really special occasion (like Cooper’s 5th birthday for example), check out this layered, Puppy-Friendly Sweet Potato + Apple Cake.
Disclaimer: Please check with your vet to make sure what you are feeding your dog is safe. I am not an animal expert and do not claim to be one. You are responsible for your own pets.
Homemade 3 Ingredient Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 4 (4 oz) jars of pureed baby food (n1), I used sweet potato for these ones
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mix until well combined.
- If the dough is too sticky to roll, slowly add more flour by the tbsp, combining well between each addition until dough has reach desired consistency.
- Place your dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper atop your work surface then place another sheet of parchment on top.
- Roll the dough out till it’s roughly 1/4-inch thick throughout.
- With your cookie cutter shape of choice (I found my dog bone cutter at Michaels), cut out as many as you can from the rolled sheet.
- Carefully transfer the cut outs to the prepared baking sheets, placing each roughly 1-inch apart from each other (n2).
- Bake for 23 minutes.
- In the meantime, re-roll out the remaining dough and repeat the cutting out process.
- Allow the treats to cool completely before serving.
- Store treats in airtight container.
Notes:
n1. Choose any flavor your dogs may be interested in—sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, and vegetable turkey are always popular—just make sure that they are the ingredients are simply “pureed veggies and water.” Avoid artificial preservatives and onions/onion powder, garlic, and mushrooms as they are toxic to pets.
n2. These treats don’t seem to spread out, just up.
