Delicious, healthy, homemade!
Dogs love treats but as they get older their digestive system is happier with less fat and more fibre.
Here’s one way to give your pet a crunchy, healthy treat that is easy to make and tasty.
And the recipe has many kid-friendly activities in the steps.
Tip: make this recipe whenever you have 1/2 cup of leftover pumpkin.
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Read my full disclosure here.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canned, steamed, or boiled unsweetened pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- Â 2 tablespoons of Psyllium husks*Â
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
*Psyllium husk comes from the herb, Plantago ovata and is known to lower cholesterol and blood sugars, help with managing diarrhea and constipation and is a prebiotic.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Wood spoon
- Rolling pin
- Small cookie cutter or a sharp knife
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray
- Oven mitts
- Cooling rack
- Airtight container
- Labels
- Optional: freezer-safe container
Want more kid-friendly recipes?
Steps
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Makes: 60 treats, depending on thickness and size.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Add eggs, pumpkin, and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well mixed.
- Add flour, psyllium husks, salt, cinnamon, and turmeric.
- Stir until the dough forms a ball.
Tip: add a little water if your dough is stiff and dry or crumbly.
Tip:
If the dough is a little too sticky, either dust the rolling pin with a little flour or use a second layer of parchment paper to roll on.
If you're using parchment paper
- Measure out and tear off enough paper to cover your baking tray.Â
Tear one length off for the countertop and another for under the rolling pin, if you’re not using extra flour. - Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the kitchen counter and place the ball of dough in the centre.
- If, instead of flour, you’re using a second sheet, place it on top and lightly flatten the dough with the palm of your hands.Â
Tip: using parchment paper makes an easier cleanup.
If you're using flour
- Lightly dust your rolling area on the counter with flour.
- Place the ball of dough in the centre.
- Lightly dust your rolling pin before you begin.
- When the dough becomes sticky, re-dust your rolling pin.
TIPS:
If your dog is small to medium-size, roll the dough out to an even 1/4″ thickness for approximately 80 dog treats.
If your dog is bigger, roll the dough out to 1/2″ thickness. Approx: 60 dog treats.
If you have a Furbo, make the treats even smaller so they’ll fit inside!Â
Note: The number of treats is approximate, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
If you’re using a knife, simply cut your pieces into 1/2″ x 1/2″ squares.
- Transfer cookies to the parchment paper on the baking tray.
Find out which fruit is safe for dogs with this easy teachable chart.
Click on the chart to sign up
- If using a cookie cutter, gather all the scraps, reform the dough into a ball, and re-roll to the thickness you require.
Continue cutting cookies until there is no more dough. - Bake until treats are hard, or about 40 minutes.
- Halfway through, rotate the tray for even baking.
To test for doneness:
Press into the centre of each treat. The outer edge of cookies will cook quicker than those in the centre.
The treat is baked when the centre is hard.
- Test and transfer all baked treats to a cooling rack.
- Leave softer cookies on the tray and bake for 3 more minutes.
Re-test and transfer all baked cookies to the cooling rack.
Leave any softer cookies on the tray and put back in the oven.
Turn the oven off and leave the door open until they harden. - When cool, store treats in an airtight container, and add a label.
To maintain freshness, freeze the remainder until needed.
Gift ideas for your newly-made dog treats
A Journal
We made this ourselves!
You get 20 pages to add ideas about your pup, including 3 recipe pages!Â
Print the pages you love most and pop them into a binder.
To learn more, CLICK HERE and thank you for supporting us!
From Etsy, a company who support local artists making handmade crafts:
Personalized dog treat jar
This personalized dog treat jar makes a fabulous doggy gift that kids will love for their pet.
Fill with a batch of homemade treats and add the recipe!
Personalized favour bags
You can get lots of miles out of personalized favour bags.
Hand these bags filled with homemade treats to family and friends who have a dog for:
~ birthdays
~ Valentine’s Day
~ seasonal holidays
~ public holidays like the 4th of July.
List the ingredients for any pooch or owner with allergies and include this post so they’ll pop over and grab the recipe!
Treat bag
These sturdy treat bags are a must-have for puppy training.
They’re made from waxed canvas (waterproof) and the brass swivel hook easily attaches to either the leash or belt loop on your pants.
Prefer to see what else Etsy has?
Click HERE and you’ll be amazed at the talent these artists have!Â
Psyllium husks
Psyllium husks add more fibre to your dog’s diet.
I add 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks because in the summer our dogs outdoors swimming and get hungrier much earlier.
And in the winter when they’re less active the psyllium husks keep their digestive system moving and excess weight off.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Furbo!
Now for the ultimate in fun and safety!Â
You can have Alexa ask Furbo to toss a treat on your command AND take a video or photo!
You don’t even have to be at home which is perfect for anyone missing their pet or if your pet suffers from separation anxiety.
The Furbo is designed for small treats (under 0.4 inches) so you could make your cookies the same size.Â
So far Furbo has saved over 500 dog lives because of the Bark Alert feature.
Looking for CBD products for your pet?
Both of our dogs use CBD products to keep them more active.
One dog has had two major knee surgeries while the other has a stiff hip, the beginning of osteoarthritis.
You can learn more about CBD and my own experience here.
The U.S.
Veritas Farms is based in Colorado where they grow and manufacture all of their products including a wide range of pet supplies.
A more in-depth post explains what CBD is, the research that is being done, why use Veritas Farms, and how your pet may benefit.
Canada
GRASS Life is expanding its line of high-quality products.
Here’s what I love:Â
Wrinkle face cream for dogs!Â
Dogs who have deep facial folds, such as the pug, shar pei, mastiff, bulldog, and bloodhound are prone to discomfort and infections.
This cream is organic and has an impressive list of natural ingredients including Hemp oil, coconut oil, shea butter, Vitamin E and essential oils.Â
Older dogs with arthritis, allergies, and skin irritations will benefit from Canna Canine Pet Balm.
Massage a pea-sized amount into your pet’s skin so the healing properties of hemp are absorbed.
Pumpkin Turmeric Dog Treats
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray
- Cookie-cutter or sharp knife
- Cooling rack
- Oven mitts
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup pumpkin pure, unsweetened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp psyllium husks
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C)
- Whisk eggs, pumpkin, and peanut butter in a mixing bowl until blended.
- Add flour, psyllium husks, salt, cinnamon, and turmeric. Stir until well mixed. Add a little water if needed.
- Roll the dough to 1/2" thickness and cut into 1/2" squares or ue a cookie-cutter.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until hard in the centre.
- Store in an airtight container. Freeze the remainder until needed.
