As far as I know, my dog Mica is not gluten intolerant, but I figure if I can easily make a treat for my dog without flour, why add it? I try and be very careful with what I eat, so it only makes sense to make a little extra effort when you have the time for your best friend’s health too. I also wanted the recipe to be inexpensive and tasty. Yes, I have tasted them and Mica loves them too!
I have seen a lot of great recipes for peanut butter cookies without gluten so I figured that was a good place to start looking for ideas. Most of the cookie recipes were largely comprised of peanut butter and oats so it was pretty simple to adapt the concept to a dog treat. I added a couple of eggs for a binding agent and some protein and some canned sweet potatoes for digestibility and taste.
1 can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter, you can use other nut butters, if you prefer
4 cups rolled oats
1. Mash the sweet potatoes.
2. Mix eggs, peanut butter and oats until combined.
If you get any peanut butter on your fingers, this is a job for your Sous Chef.
3. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out your treats. Pick a size appropriate for your dog. Keep in mind if you don’t feel like scooping a ton of little tiny cookies out then you can also break them into smaller pieces as you dole them out to your dog. Then I take a fork, dip it in water and smash the treats down like you would a peanut butter cookie. I think it looks cute, but it is mostly because these cookies do not spread on their own.
4. Bake these at 350 degrees until the treats really dry out so they don’t spoil. My dog gets a treat every morning and sometimes one later in the day so one batch lasts us about a month to a month and a half and I haven’t had any issue with spoilage. I feel the bottom of the cookie and make sure it isn’t soft at all, if it is, bake it longer. If they seem to be browning too much before they are hard turn the oven down. The baking time will depend on what size scoop you use and how much you flatten them. Mine take about 40 to 45 minutes so I would guess 30 for a very small treat and maybe an hour for a large one.
Mica loves her treats!
I also give these treats to people with pets as gifts all the time. People say the way to someone's heart is through their stomach, but I think it is through their pets too!
The Chopping Block is bringing back our popular Homemade Dog Treats class this February (that calendar will be released on Friday, January 5). In the meantime, here's another dog recipe to try that's sure to be a hit with your pup.