I wanted to share my favorite recipes for homemade treats for our furry best friends. As humans we base our lifestyles around excuses to delay or pause diets and healthy eating lifestyle habits in lieu of celebrating special moments shared with loved family and friends. Our sweet four legged family members should enjoy the indulgence as much as we do.

I often used to wonder how Charlie (our German Shepard) happily devours exactly the same meal every day sometimes with a raw egg cracked over it with such enthusiasm. His cocked one eyed observation of us cooking is trumped surely by the intense smells of meals wafting out of our kitchen (most meals include a healthy dose of meaty protein). Still he seemed content to receive his bowl of daily bread. We are people who live to eat not eat to live. Charlie with not much encouragement inevitably has adopted our philosophy since I started spoiling him with choice to my own determent. He seems to love his homemade treats as much as I love making them and they are easy to freeze and available on demand. Everything in moderation, sticking with my mom’s mantra ~ “a little of what you fancy does you good!”

‘Human’ ingredients that are safe and apparently yummy and healthy for most dogs are peanut butter (ideal for getting your pouch to pop a pill crushed or whole), cinnamon, carob , eggs, pumpkin, wholewheat & rice flour, honey or molasses and obviously all the meaty treaty bits. Here are 5 easy recipes with a combination of some of the above ingredients sure to have your doggie salivating whilst they baking in the oven. They are recipes for dog biscuits as well as frozen treats (easy and quick to thaw).

No 1 ~ Healthy Pumpkin Balls

This snack is not only delicious but is also filled with fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, and iron.
Healthy Pumpkin Balls for dogs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin or boiled
• 4 tbsp molasses
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl
• Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until dough softens
• Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough and roll into balls on your hands (wet hands work best)
• Bake for 10 -15 minute

No 2 ~ Basic Doggie Biscuits (what is in the cupboard?)

These basic biscuits can be customized to cater to your canine’s palette
Dog Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour (substitute regular flour or oats if your dog is sensitive to wheat)
• 1 tsp. salt (or less)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. beef or chicken bouillon granules (can substitute beef or chicken broth/stock)
• ½ cup hot water
• Bacon or chicken broth, oats, liver powder, wheat germ, shredded cheese, bacon bits- mix it up here, add in what you have available and test

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Dissolve bouillon in hot water
• Add remaining ingredients
• Knead dough until it forms a ball (approximately 3 minutes)
• Roll dough until ½ inch thick
• Cut into slices or bone shapes (you can purchase a bone shaped cookie cutter to make shapes with)
• Place dough pieces on lightly greased cookie sheet
• Bake for 30 minutes

No 3 ~ Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Dog Treats

Irresistible cool licking treats for your pooch after a good old long walk
Dog frozen treats

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon, unprocessed coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• silicon paw print tray

Method

• Be sure the coconut oil is not in liquid form. If not, place coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until melted.
• Add peanut butter and cinnamon. Stir until mixture is completely smooth and thoroughly mixed. Mixture should be thick, but pourable.
• Pour mixture into a tray and freeze until set.
• Carefully remove from tray and store in air-tight container in the freezer (they soften quickly).

Tip: These are made for dogs in the 10-15 pound range. Adjust the amount of coconut oil accordingly. Rule of thumb is that you use 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per 10 pounds of your dog's body weight.

No 4 Recipe ~ Carob Crunchies | Dog heart treats

A little Carob love for our wheat sensitive doggys.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice flour
• ½ cup carob powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup of water

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and knead until dough is formed and smooth, you may need to add a little more water as the dough tends to be on the dry side.
• Roll onto a heavily floured surface 1/4 inch thick and cut with small cookie cutter of your choice. Place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or the cookies start to crackle.
• Cool and refrigerate.

Tip: Make sure you knead the dough very well, it may take some work to get the dough to come together. The smaller the cookie cutter the better as the dough is very crumbly. T

No 5 Recipe ~ Nutty Bacon Dog Treats

Simply delicious!

Ingredients

• 3 slices of bacon, diced
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup soy flour
• 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ

Method

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Fry the diced bacon until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon but save the fat. Allow the fat to cool slightly (2-5 minutes)
• Add the egg, peanut butter, maple syrup and water to the bacon fat and mix thoroughly.
• Add in the flours and wheat germ and mix until combined. Stir in the crispy bacon pieces.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Cut into desired shapes. I used three different 1" cookie cutters.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes (for 1" diameter shapes) until lightly browned
• Cool and make them beg for it.

Let us know how you liked them Steemers... :)