If you know me, you know that I quickly obsess over certain baking or cooking recipes that I find. You'd also know that I love my dog, Jenga, as if she is a smelly, hairy, and lovable human child. We try to take the best care of her that we can, and so I decided to try my hand at making some doggy treats to know exactly what she's getting in a treat. I've been meaning to for a while, but my excuse was always that I didn't have a dog bone shaped cookie cutter (or any at all for that matter.) Luckily, I have a really thoughtful boyfriend who sneaked one into our basket at our trip to target the other day.
I was so happy with the way that it turned out, that it has now become an obsession. I have already gone on Amazon and bought three other cookie cutters for dog treats.
Jenga looking like a Being a cool city dog.
quintessential dog with her ball.
Could I upload pictures of my dog non-stop? Of course! Are there more pictures of my dog and cat than all humans combined on my computer? You betcha!
Anyways.....these treats took about 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to bake. Me AND Jenga were very pleased with the results!
Now, don't those look tasty?
I think it's really important to not only care about what goes into your body, but your pets as well. Having BOTH our dog and cat having allergies makes food a concern for us every day. I get worried when we try something new, and sometimes we have learned the hard way that it doesn't always work out. I plan on making dog treats whenever I can for my awesome dog...but do not fear... I make human food too. And, I make it pretty darn good! And yes, if you want to know if my curious boyfriend tried it, he did! I could tell he wanted to try them. They were put away in a jar already, and I could see that in his big brain, he debated back and forth if this was an acceptable thing to do. Alas, he decided he didn't care if it was! And tried it.
"Weird....but good," is the verdict I got.
So, maybe if you're human you'd want to eat these too. Although, I wouldn't recommend it. Here's the recipe in case you have a furry friend you want to treat!
Peanut Butter, Oat, & Parsley Dog Treats
makes ALOT.
makes ALOT.
Maybe 60
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick cooking or regular)
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 beef or chicken stock cube (I used Chicken)
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
2 cups whole meal/whole wheat flour
about 3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 330°F and line baking trays with baking paper. I don't have any baking paper, so I lightly greased two baking trays.
In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, butter, stock cube, and water and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, parsley, and egg. Stir in flour until a stiff dough has formed.
Knead dough on floured surface. Roll out dough. If dough is sticky still, add more flour. I ended up adding quite a bit more flour through out. Roll to a desired thickness. I had varied thicknesses, but prefered a thickness of about 1.5 mm. If going thinner, watch while baking in case they burn.
Bake for 35 minutes. If you want them harder- do 10 minutes longer. If you want softer, take out 5-10 minutes early. These treats will last about 12 months in an airtight container or the freezer.
And there you have it...Dog Treats!
(Adapted from Things for Boys recipe)
