Six ingredient dog cookies for your four-legged friends.
I recently shared this Pumpkin Dog Treat recipe over on Spend with Pennies.
Leia’s favorite thing to do is play tug. She has a 3-foot long knotted rope that she loves to carry around and drop at my feet, begging me to play with her.
A little while ago, though, I tore something in my right shoulder (believed to be a labral tear), and so I haven’t been able to tug with her in weeks.
It makes me feel like pretty much the worst pet owner in existence.
I have absolutely no way of explaining to her that I can’t tug, because her 80-pound, head-flinging self will completely destroy my shoulder (especially since, as soon as we start tugging, Penny joins in, too). So every evening when I get home from work, over and over again, she carries the rope to me, drops it at my feet, and cries. Then, when I don’t oblige, she’ll pick it up, drop it even closer, stare at me, and cry some more.
It’s pretty pathetic and it makes me feel terrible.
Zach tries to make up for it by playing with her, but it doesn’t really make me feel any better about ignoring her constant pleading.
Until my shoulder gets completely better (which I don’t think is going to be for a while), tugging (and playing fetch!) are off limits, so I try to entertain her in other ways, which has mostly consisted of teaching her tricks and making her cookies.
I’ve made dog cookies here before, but these are a slightly different, crunchier, non-frosted version, and recently this recipe has been my go-to. Made with peanut butter (Leia comes running when I open the peanut butter jar) and pumpkin and just a handful of other basic ingredients, they’re simple to make, and spoiling her with cookies makes me feel a little bit better about not being able to play tug.
I hope your furry companions enjoy this recipe as much as mine do.
Homemade Dog Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, stir together pumpkin, peanut butter, and egg yolk until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flours and baking powder.
- Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture until completely combined (dough will be quite dry).
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to approximately ¼" thickness.
- Use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of dough and transfer cutout cookies to prepared cookie sheet, placing at least 1" apart.
- Re-combine any dough scraps and re-roll and then cut out to use all of your dough.
- Bake cookies on 375F for 20 minutes for small cookies and 25 minutes for large cookies.
- Allow to cool completely before sharing with your pet.
- Keep uneaten cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Meika Kelly
Hi I was wondering if these dog treats need to be refrigerated?
Sam
Nope! 🙂
Katherine Kelsey
What could you use in place of peanut butter?? My service dog can’t stand peanut butter; I once filled a Kong with it, after that no Kongs no peanut butter.
Sam
Hi Katherine! To be honest I have never tried this recipe with anything besides peanut butter so I am not sure. Another nut butter (make sure it is safe for dogs) could most likely be substituted for an equal amount.
Jen
Can I use regular flour?
Sam
Hi Jen! It could probably work. You may end up needing more to get the same texture. 🙂
Carrie
Try using applesauce. I use organic,unsweetened applesauce in dog treats alot and my dogs love it.
Hannah =)
My doggies love these! Quick question, do you think these could be frozen?
P.S. – I’m the same person who commented on butter cookies recently and I followed your tip on sorting your recipes! Was your first recipe really chicken corn chowder (which I am definitely trying)? Shocking! Thought it would be your cookies 😉
Sam
Hi Hannah! These will freeze just fine. The corn chowder actually isn’t my first, that was actually my angel food cake, but I have since updated it so it changes the order. 🙂
Rhonda
Can I put them in silicone doggy cookie moulds?
Sam
I don’t see any reason that wouldn’t work. 🙂
Sandy
Made these a couple of times, dogs love them! Now they lay in front of the oven waiting for there goodies to out! Thanks 2 spoiled dogs
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your dogs have enjoyed them, Sandy! Spoiled and happy is the way any dog should be. 🙂
puja
Great share Sam. Awesome recipe for Pets. 🙂
Sam
Thank you, Puja!
Amanda
Pets really know how to lay on the guilt, don’t they? ? My cats are still upset that I was on crutches for a while. They were terrified of them for some reason. ?
These are SO cute! I totally want to make them for my boyfriend’s dog.