How to Bake Treats Putting Your Dog in Nirvana

Dogs---being perpetual 3-year-olds---love treats as much as kids. These biscuits are a quick and healthy treat for canines. Store-bought treats are expensive and in most cases unhealthy, contributing to canine diabetes, food allergies and obesity. Most commercial treats list fillers, meals and gluten as prime ingredients. Keep your dog healthy with homemade treats that take 10 minutes to prep and 35 minutes to bake. It's almost a people treat, without the extra salt, sugar and leavening.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 large cookie sheets
  • Vegetable oil or spray
  • Heavy duty mixer
  • 4 cups of flour, preferably whole wheat and gluten free
  • 1/2 cup of cornmeal, preferably organic
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cup of water
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup of peanut butter, creamy or chunky
  • Pastry scraper or table knife
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Instructions

    • 1

      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or wipe oil on cookie sheets.

    • 2

      Put flour in mixer. Mix the cornmeal into the flour on medium speed. Turn mixer off.

    • 3

      Add egg, water and peanut butter. Mix at a slow kneading speed until all ingredients are blended into a firm, slightly dry, cookie dough. The dough may have a swirling appearance from flour and peanut butter. This is OK. When the dough is solid, spill out on the counter.

    • 4

      Knead lightly and roll the dough into a "snake" about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. The dough roll may be almost 3 feet long at this diameter.

    • 5

      Take the pastry scraper or a table knife and slice the roll into 1/4 inch segments. The dough will collapse into a half circle shape during the cutting, but shaping is a personal option. Place the slices on the cookie sheets. Separation between slices does not matter because without leavening, they will not rise or expand.

    • 6

      Put the cookie trays in the center of the oven for 35 minutes. If the oven has a cooking time setting, set it to 30 minutes. The treats are ready when they are slightly browned and firm to the touch. This recipe will make more than 100 treats, depending on slice thickness. Let the treats cool before serving to the dog.