Tasty Tuesday Treats

Dogs are still getting sick from treats/cookies made in China.  People may think the treats they are buying are safe because they are made in the United States, but what they don’t realize is that many of the ingredients are made in China.  And it isn’t just dogs that are getting sick, there are some cats who are also getting ill.  I know there have been hundreds of deaths related to the consumption of these treats, so until everyone is made aware of the danger, please spread the word.

So to continue with my promise of more dog cookie recipes, I have found more recipes that the collies think are drool-worthy!

Apple Cinnamon Drops

1 large apple

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup oatmeal

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C).

Core, slice and mince the apple (use a food processor if you have one). In a large bowl, combine the minced apple bits, honey, water, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.

In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle. Adjust the size of the drops based on how big a treat you like to feed your dog.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325 ° F (180 °C). Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool overnight.

Makes about 3 dozen crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them.

Archie Squares

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered dry milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. brown sugar or honey

6 tbs. meat or bacon drippings, cold right from refrigerator, not melted or soft!

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup Ice water

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Combine flour, dry milk, garlic powder and sugar. Cut in meat drippings until mixture resembles corn meal. Mix in egg. Add enough water so that mixture forms a ball. Using your fingers, pat out dough onto cookie sheet to 1/2" thick. Cut dough into squares appropriate for your dog size. Prick each cookie with fork. Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from tray and cool on rack. Store in airtight container

Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Treats

1-32oz. container of plain lowfat yogurt

1 cup of peanut butter

1. Put the peanut butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted.

2. Mix the yogurt and the melted peanut butter in a bowl.

3. Pour mixture into cupcake papers and freeze.

Today we made the recipe below, the collies loved these cookies!

Classic Thumbprint Peanut Butter Dog Treats

 

Ingredients:

•2 cups whole wheat flour

•1/2 cup rolled oats

•2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

•1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium

•1/2 cup water

•1/2 cup strawberry jam, sugar free

 

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 325° F

2.Whisk together the flour, oats and cinnamon.

3.Place the peanut butter, chicken broth and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir together the warm peanut butter and liquids. If needed, microwave again for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir again until all of the liquid is incorporated into the peanut butter.

4.Make a well in the dry ingredients.

5.Pour the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir, using a fork, until a dough forms.

6.Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

7.Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, scoop out rounded balls onto the prepared baking sheet.

8.Create an indentation, and flatten each cookie.

9.Bake for 15 minutes. Leave the peanut butter dog treats in the oven, once it's turned off, to cool.

10.Once the dog treats are completely cooled, place the jam in a microwave safe container.

11.Microwave for 10 seconds. Then stir the jam. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds and stir. You want a smooth liquid consistency.

12.Using a 1/2 teaspoon, gently spoon the jam into each cookies indentation.

13.Let the jam cool completely before moving the dog treats.

 

Storing - These peanut butter dog treats are delicate with the addition of the jam. First, they need to be stored in a single layer as the jam does not harden completely. Once in a air tight container, like a freezer bag, they can be kept in the refrigerator for one week. Store them in the freezer for up to four months. These gourmet dog treats will keep fresh longer without the jam middle. You can bake the cookies, not adding the jam, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Then before you serve, follow the last four steps of this recipe.

 

Yield - Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, this recipe will make 30 dog cookies.

 

Tips & Techniques

•Jam or Jelly - This dog treat recipe will work best if you use a jam with little or no fruit pieces. You can use any flavor of fruit jam, but make sure that it is sugar free. Our dogs do not need all that excess sugar in their treats. The jam will set rather quickly once it is poured into the cookie. Depending on how quickly you are able to work, you may need to reheat the jam to a liquid consistency to be able to pour it into the cookie with ease.

•Artificial Sweeteners - Using sugar free products can seem perfectly harmless, yet there are ingredients to learn about. Our dogs should never ingest the artificial sweetener called Xylitol. This is most commonly found in sugar free gum and candy. However, do a double check of your sugar free jam, to ensure it does not contain this ingredient. The sugar free jam I used for this dog treat recipe contained polydextrose, maltodextrin and sucralose. These have not been found to be harmful to our dogs.

•Homemade Fruit Jam - If you are still concerned about artificial sweeteners, by all means, you should make your own homemade sugar free fruit jam. Look for recipes that use a "no sugar needed" fruit pectin for the binding and thickening agent. Some of these recipes also contain honey, but since honey is a natural sugar, and will eventually be a very small amount of the end jam product, it would be an acceptable ingredient. When choosing a recipe for homemade jam, be aware that some use white grape juice. Again, although tasty to us, grapes are on the list of foods poisonous to dogs, so you would want to substitute apple juice instead.

•Microwaves - All microwaves are different, and some have more power than others. The microwave directions in this dog treat recipe are a starting point. You may need to use less or more time, depending on your appliance.

•Peanut Butter - We used creamy peanut butter for this recipe. You might be able to use chunky peanut butter, but due to the texture of the cookie, and the need to make an indentation and flatten the cookie, we highly recommend the creamy variety.

•Broth & Water - To make these peanut butter dog treats even healthier, you could substitute the chicken broth for water. You would add a total of one cup of water, instead of half water and half broth. Or, you could use all chicken broth, or switch it up and use half and half chicken broth and beef broth. Whether you use all broth or not, look for the low sodium variety to keep these treats extra healthy for your dog.

 

Since so many dogs love the taste of peanut butter, you are sure to find a keeper in these peanut butter dog treats. They are also a great treat to make as gifts. Your dogs friends and their parents will think that you're a dog treat baking whiz with these delightful little gems wrapped in peanut butter.