Homemade Doggie Treats for Christmas

(c) 2011 by Tom King

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Introduction:
If you’re wondering what to give the family dog for Christmas, have I got a fun holiday cooking project for you – peanut butter puppy biscuits. These things are great. My dog loves these better than any dog biscuits I’ve ever bought and I know what’s in ‘em.

Here are the ingredients: 

• ½ cup hot water 
• 2 beef bullion cube 
• ½ cup oil 
• 2 eggs 
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter 
• 2 tsp. vanilla 
• 1 cup white flour 
• 1 cup wheat flour 
• ½ cup cornmeal 
• ½ cup oats 

Here’s how to make them:

1. Drop two bouillon cubes into the ½ cup of hot water and let it dissolve.

2. Pour all the dry ingredients together in your trusty Kitchen-Aid mixing bowl and whisk them up to mix thoroughly.

3.  Add all the wet ingredients together and mix with the dough hook to form a ball of dough. Add a little extra water to achieve the consistency shown in the picture.

4.  Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours. The dough rolls flat better when chilled.

5.  When the dough is chilled, roll about a third or a quarter of it out on a flat surface. Flatten it till it’s about the thickness of a cracker – I like it about the thickness of Wheat Thins. They cook faster and crisper, though you can make them sugar cookie thick. They come out chewier that way. My sister-in-law’s toothless Chihuahua loves the soft ones. Daisy, my sharp-toothed border collie/lab mix likes the cracker crisp ones.

6.  Cut out the dough with cookie cutters. We used Christmas cookie cutters for Daisy’s Christmas stocking stuffers. They were appropriate. One was a tree, the other was a bow, but if you cut off the dangly part of the ribbon, it makes a little bone. The snowman becomes a postman or UPS guy. Daisy loves a man in uniform. You can also buy dog bone cookie cutters and all sorts of other shapes.
Lay the cutouts on a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one.

7.  Cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After they look done, turn off the oven. Allow the biscuits to cool in the oven and harden.

8. When they’re hard, store them in a zip type freezer bag to keep them fresh.  Makes a nice gallon freezer bag full.

These tasty treats won’t last long. Our dog, Daisy, is always very careful to take them gently from my hand so she doesn’t break them. She eats them slowly, picks up every crumb she drops, and then licks her paws (check the video).

Then she smacks her lips, licks them and gives me the pitiful sad-eyed puppy look till she gets another one. These biscuits are a healthy dog snack with ingredients you can feel good about feeding your pup. My wife says they are delicious (she sampled them). Actually, I like them with a slice of cheese.

They’re a snack the whole family can enjoy! And Daisy’s never been more regular!

Got to go. Mooch is chewing on my hand to tell me she wants a treat