Commercial dog treats have gained a bad reputation over the last couple of years. It seems like new recalls are announced each week. The only way to know for sure what ingredients are in your pet's treats are to make them yourself. This peanut butter dog biscuit recipe is a great one to start with.
Our dogs love peanut butter, but one of them isn't a huge fan of biscuit treats. She'll eat these ones, as they aren't extremely hard. She's also easily enticed by the aroma of peanut butter. It's one of her favorites!
If your pup loves peanut butter and he's a fan of biscuit style treats, I'm sure this recipe will be as popular in your home as it is in ours. The downside to homemade dog treats is that they aren't as convenient as commercial treats. I can make a batch of these in about 35 minutes (20 minutes prep time and 15 minutes cook time).
Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil (any type you'd like – I use olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup corn meal
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup peanut butter
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, honey and two eggs. Save the other egg to be used in an egg wash later. Whisk these ingredients together and then add the chicken broth. Broth is very high in sodium, so as I mention in my video you'll want to purchase a low-sodium product.
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Set this mixture to the side, and combine both types of flour and the corn meal in the bowl of an electric mixer. As I note in the video above, you don't need to use an electric mixer for this recipe, but it is certainly helpful. The dough is very thick, and your arm and shoulder are likely to get fatigued very quickly if you try to mix it by hand.
I quickly mix the dry ingredients together just to make sure everything is evenly blended. Then you can add the oil/honey/egg/broth mixture to the flour/corn meal mixture. You'll need to use the dough attachments for your mixer and mix the ingredients on a medium speed.
Now is the time that you'll want to preheat your oven to 325°.
As I note in my video, it is wise to use a rubber spatula to scrape the side of the bowl. This ensures that everything gets mixed evenly and nothing is stuck to the side of the bowl.
Now it's time to add the peanut butter. Continue mixing until the peanut butter is evenly distributed and the dough begins to form a ball.
In the step-by-step video above, you'll see that when the dough is completely mixed it is time to roll it out. You'll need to spread about 1 tablespoon of flour on your counter top to prevent the dough from sticking.
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Place the ball of dough onto the floured area and slowly roll it flat with a rolling pin. You can add a small amount of wheat flour to the dough ball if it is still a bit sticky. You'll want to roll the dough until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Don't forget to roll out the middle as well, or you'll have some thick cookies and some that are very thin.
When you've rolled the dough to the desired thickness, it's time to cut out your dog cookies. You can use a small cookie cutter, but your dog won't care either way. As I show you in my video, I use a pizza cutter to quickly cut my treats into squares.
The size of your dog will effect the size of the treats that you'll want to cut. As you'll see, I cut some larger cookies (about 2-inches long and 1-inch wide) and some smaller cookies (about 1-inch by 1-inch squares). We have two large breed dogs and one small breed, so I make some of each size.
Place the cut out treats on a greased cookie sheet. You won't need to worry about spreading them out, as these treats do not contain any rising agents that will cause them to expand.
Use the remaining egg to make an egg wash. To do this, simply crack it into a bowl and whisk it until it's completely scrambled. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash onto the top of every peanut butter dog treat.
Bake them in a 325° oven for about 15 minutes. You'll notice that the treats turn a slightly darker brown color when they are finished cooking. Allow the treats to cool and then store them in a resealable zipper bag.
1 batch usually makes between 3 and 4 dozen cookies, but this will vary depending on the size that you make them. They should last at least 2 weeks. Because they do not contain any preservatives, I store them in the freezer to prevent spoiling for as long as possible.
If you are interested in sharing a recipe, please do so in the comments below. You can also share your photos and recipes on our Facebook page! Who knows, I may even feature your recipe in my next video!
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