Healthy Homemade Dog Treats

Didn't they turn out pretty!
My kiddo and I have been talking about making homemade dog treats for a long time now and since he was home today recovering from being extremely sick over the weekend, we decided today was the day. We ended up with some random hearts and circles since we don't have a dog bone cookie cutter, but I found this set at Hobby Lobby online and will probably order it.

I added the turmeric to the recipe because it is a great natural anti-inflammatory and is supposed to aid in helping rid the body of impurities in both animals and people. I substituted chicken broth for the water found in most recipes because I thought it would be tasty!
*note: obviously these are not meant for pooches with grain allergies

The recipe:
1 c peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 lg. egg
2 tbls honey
2-3 tbls ground turmeric (optional)
1 1/2c hot (not boiling) chicken broth (you can use water)
2 c flour
1 c oats
1/4 c wheat germ
1/4 c ground flax
(you can substitute the wheat germ and flax for the same amount more of oats or flour)
extra flour and oats to dust your work surface with when rolling
1 beaten egg

To make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Stir together the peanut butter, egg, honey, and turmeric and then add the hot broth a bit at a time so the peanut butter isn't lumpy. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients upping the flour or oats as necessary if it is too sticky to work with.

*(tip: I actually work with mine a bit sticky so that when I am kneading it on the flour it doesn't end up with too much flour. The trick is to make sure the working surface has plenty of flour and oats and then sprinkle the top also so that you can press on it with out getting dough stuck to your hands. )
Put your dough on a work surface dusted with flour AND oats and knead lightly. The oats on the work surface give a nice texture to the outside of the finished cookie
Press into the thickness you want. About 1/2" to 3/4" worked well for me. Cut out your cookie shapes, roll into small balls and flatten with a fork, or roll into a log and cut into slices. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and brush them with the beaten egg. (I let Paisley eat the leftover egg- raw egg is great for making their coats shiny!) Ready for the oven

Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes. Paisley waiting for the cookies to cook!

Watch them because they tend to get dark quickly towards the end. Turn off the oven and let them cool for several hours or overnight so that they dry out well. This part is important if you plan on storing them for a while. (I didn't wait that long because I'm sharing them and I'm not planning on storing them longer than a couple of days) The drier they are the longer they store. Otherwise I imagine freezing them would work well also for extended storage. I think ours will run out long before I have to worry about that!
I burned the bottoms of the first pan, but Paisley didn't mind, she still gobbled a couple up! I found a pumpkin dog treat recipe that I will try next and tell you how it turned out and see if I can find something yummy for our feline babies!