Homemade & Healthy Dog Cookies
I have always loved baking for my pets, and for myself, although I am certainly better in the kitchen when I'm making things for Holly and Milkshake. I made these cookies for a “yappy hour” event that was hosted at my apartment complex and they turned out so perfect, I had to add the recipe to our blog!
They're made with oat flour, and a few simple ingredients you probably either already have on hand, or can easily find at any grocery store.
Anyway, I don't want to be one of those recipes that tells you my entire life story before actually getting to the recipe, so let's just jump right in!
I have some tips & tricks and alternatives ingredients at the bottom of the recipe after the ingredients and instructions.
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Applesauce
Three 2.5 oz Jars of Meat Baby Food (any flavor your dog likes)
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
3 Cups Oat Flour
1 Large Egg
1 Tablespoon Sunflower Oil (optional for moisture)
Icing & Decoration
1/2 Cup Magifrost Dog Icing + 2 Tablespoons Water (available on Amazon)
Dog Safe Flower Petals
Bee Pollen
Oats
Instructions
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine applesauce, baby food, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Stir until smooth.
Add Oat Flour: Gradually mix in the oat flour 1 cup at a time, until a dough forms. You can add a little extra oat flour if the dough feels too wet, but if it is a smidge sticky, that’s okay!
Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I let mine chill for 4 hours. This will help it firm up and be easier to roll out.
Roll Out the Dough: Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Make sure the thickness is even for consistent baking.
5. Cut Out Your Cookies: Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shapes, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are firm and slightly golden. For crispier cookies, leave them in the oven with the heat turned off for an extra 10 minutes.
7. Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool fully before serving or decorating with the icing, bee pollen, oats and edible flower petals.
8. Allow Icing to Set: After you’ve decorated the cookies, allow them to set for a few hours so the icing can dry and harden.
Icing The Cookies
When it comes to icing the cookies, I chose to keep things super simple by purchasing a pre-mixed pet icing on Amazon, however you can easily make the icing I used at home by combining 1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour) and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mixing with about 1/4 cup of water.
Whether you are using the mix, or making a homemade icing, I highly recommend adding in water a little bit at a time so you can reach the proper consistency. The instructions on the pre-made icing asked for 1 tablespoon of water, and I ended up using 2 for a drizzle-able consistency.
This type of icing will harden after a few hours, so after you've added your drizzle and decorations, just let them sit for a few hours before boxing them up.
Decorations
I used edible, pet-safe flower petals also purchased on Amazon, local bee pollen and plain rolled oats to decorate my cookies, but of course you can use anything you want just double-check everything is pet-safe!
Sprinkle on your decorations while the icing is still wet, this way they will stick to the icing as it dries and they won't just fall off when you move around your cookies.
Want a Grain-Free Cookie Instead?
If you're looking to make this recipe, but need grain-free cookies, you can do this pretty easily. Just swap out the oat flour for coconut flour!
Since coconut flour is much more absorbent than oat flour, you’ll need to use less coconut flour in the recipe. Typically, you would use about 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of coconut flour compared to oat flour.
For this recipe, start with around 1 - 1.5 cups of coconut flour and adjust from there based on the dough's texture. You may also need to add a bit more liquid (applesauce, pumpkin puree or water) to ensure the dough isn’t too dry or crumbly.
And there you have it
Super easy, yet impressively adorable & healthy, homemade dog treats!
If you make these, be sure to tag us on social media because I would love to see how they turn out. Also, let me know if you change anything, or find any tips and tricks of your own.
Recipes like this are super easy to customize and I don't even typically follow a recipe, I mostly eyeball everything until I get a texture that looks like it’ll turn out.
However, everyone always asks me for a recipe when I make pet treats, so I'll do my best to write everything down and measure my ingredients, so I can share them with you and we can all make healthy pet treats at home!
