Recipe: Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Dog Treats

“I’d say I’m about one cookie away from being happy.” – Snoopy

Bonjour!

Baking and cooking are two activities that enhance my personal joie de vivre. Since I became a dog mom, I have always wanted to experiment with baking dog treats, but have been too skeptical to try. In fact, Le Chien‘s favorite word is “treat” (second only to “outside”).

Franchement, finding cute dachshund- and bone-shaped cookie cutters at Kiss the Cook in Vermont finally inspired me to bake some doggie goodies. And for those of you attempting to train a miniature dachshund – emphasis on attempt; the breed is notoriously intelligent and willful (le sigh) – you know using treats judiciously has a 100-percent success rate.

As it happens, there are no secret ingredients in dog treats, only those that are safe for our canine family members to ingest. Le Chien is partial to pumpkin, banana, apple, and peanut butter. With l’automne on the way (we can dream, right?), I decided to start with something fall-inspired: Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Dog Treats.

Les Ingrédients

• 3/4 c. pumpkin (organic)
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 2 eggs (organic)
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 2 1/4 c. flour, plus more for dusting the rolling surface
• 1 t. baking soda

La Recette

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cookie sheet or sheet pan with 1 sheet parchment paper.
• Combine wet ingredients (pumpkin, peanut butter, oil, and eggs) in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
• Add baking soda. Add flour 1/2 c. to 1 c. at a time, stirring between each addition, until combined. Dough will be stiff and shiny.
• Roll out dough with rolling pin on floured surface, 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick, re-flouring the dough and surface as needed.
• Use desired cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place shapes on prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake treats for 10-13 minutes, or until firm. Treats will not spread.

Tasting Notes

• Pumpkin. Pumpkin is full of fiber and vitamin A, both excellent for a dog’s digestion and diet, respectively.
• Peanut Butter. Dogs love peanut butter. That is all.
• Bake Time. I baked the treats for 10 minutes and then added 2. In retrospect, I would have added 1 more minute.
• Final Product. After baking, the treats looked a little lumpy (due to chunky peanut butter) and misshapen (due to my lack of experience with the intricate dachshund cookie cutter; hence the one sans tête).
• Conclusion. What they lack in presentation, the treats make up for in appeal to Le Chien, who was an enthusiastic taste tester. I would make them again with a few recipe tweaks.

What is your pet’s favorite treat?

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

Amitiés,

Katie