Banana Pumpkin Dog Cookies

In all my years working at the vet clinic, there are a few things I have learned. Cats will go crazy for cat nip, and dogs will go nuts for anything edible (and often inedible...). So what to get for the puppies on my Christmas list? Some healthy, yummy, dog treats! (tutorial for the cats on my list soon to come)

Look at those cute little paws!

Another important piece of info that I have picked up at my part time job is the importance of PUMPKIN for doggy tummies. Pumpkin is full of fiber, and can usually cure any sort of stomach issue, and it is also totally healthy. Canned pumpkin is low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium and is also a very good source of dietary fiber. For more information of pumpkin, click here or here. 

So here is a quick recipe for some dog treats that your dog is sure to love, and their healthy too! The banana makes them higher in calories, but they are a good option is you have a picky pooch.  If you want something  healthier, take out the banana, and use only 2 1/2 cups of flour

Sorry... I forgot to put the banana in the picture

Ingredients:

♥ 2 eggs

♥ 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

♥ 4 cups of whole wheat flour

♥ 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (with no sugar added)

♥ 1 browned, mashed banana (the kind you would use for banana bread)

Makes about 60 cookies

Cat the cat is here to help... silly cat, these aren't for you... you'll have to wait till the next tutorial

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper

Whisk together all your ingredients. 

I used the flat beater on my standing mixer

I find that the dough used to make dog treats is always very dry, I'm assuming to make the treats nice and crunchy, but I don't think there is anything wrong with making them a bit softer. So be liberal with your flour, and know that usual dog treat dough is very lumpy and hard to work with, but don't feel you have to make it this way. I made mine a bit softer (as you can see below), and they were fine.

Remove the dough from your mixer and roll it into a ball.

Next, roll out your dough about... oh... I don't know... 3/4's of an inch

Now, punch out your dog treats

For whatever reason, I thought it would be a lot easier to find a dog bone shaped cookie cutter than it was... by which I mean I could not find one. The one I actually used as a 1$ heart shaped cookie cutter which I got my dad to bend into the appropriate shape. Thanks dad

Line your treats out on your baking sheets

I think that these little fork holes make these treats look extra cute, so if you agree, now is the time to poke a few into your cookies

Bake for 35-40 minutes

Make sure they don't burn! But you also don't want them to be soft in the middle

Once you think they are done, put them out on a cooling rack... but if you have a naughty furry friend, then you may want to put these in a hard to reach place

....and there you go!

These will stand for about a week or two unless you freeze them

And go ahead! Try them! They're human grade!

...Not actually... your dog will disagree but they aren't very good... take my word for it

Here is my old girl

She made a big fuss when made her wait for the treat to take a photo

Here is a batch I made for Christmas for Winston and Daisy, the two dogs in the picture at the beginning of the tutorial. Put some plastic wrap over the opening of your mason jar, then cut out a circle of Christmas paper (or use a cupcake liner) and twist the lid of the jar on top of the paper and plastic wrap. Tie some twine around the lid, and tie a bow around a candy cane and label

Hope you guys have a great week... the sun is finally shinning!!

♥ Olivia

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