Do you have a Pet Lover in your life? Or maybe a special pooch of your own? Well we certainly can’t forget them on Christmas! Our dog, Rocky, has been with us for 15 years now, and has been the best dog in the world! The last year or so though, we have struggled with his diet, and finally have decided that he must need Gluten Free food.
So not only are these Dog Treats really cute, they are Gluten Free…perfect for Rocky!
The difference with these dog treats is the rice flour. It was a little more expensive than regular flour, but it doesn’t take much to make a batch of these treats. And with the addition of pumpkin and peanut butter, these Dog Treats actually smelled really good! Now, of course, I can’t tell you how they taste…but Rocky can…
A picture is worth a thousand words…
The batter went together very quickly. Then I rolled them out and cut them with a 1 inch circle cookie cutter, the inside of a doughnut cutter worked great. After they were baked and cooled, I added the carob chips mixed with peanut butter for the paw prints.
And for a gift for that special Pet Lover for Christmas, Doug found a dog bowl, tennis balls and chew toy at the Dollar Store. Then I filled cellophane bags with the Dog Treats and tied them up with twine.
Dog Treats for the Pet Lover
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Description
A delicious treat for your pooch…not to mention good for them too! Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com. Adapted from Betty Crocker
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter, creamy
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin {not pumpkin pie mix}
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Paw Prints
- 1/2 cup carob chips {we found these at the Health Food Store}
- 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and set out 2 large cookie sheets
- Combine all the dough ingredients until a soft ball forms
- Divide dough in half, sprinkle work surface with a bit of rice flour
- Roll out dough to 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick, cut with 1 or 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter
- Place on cookie sheet, repeat until dough is gone
- Using the tip of a small spoon, make indentations for the paw prints
- Bake at 300 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until dried and golden brown
- Remove from oven and cool completely
Paw Prints
- In a small microwave safe bowl, add carob chips and peanut butter
- Heat 30-45 seconds, stir until as smooth as possible
- Spoon mixture into a a resealable bag or decorator bag
- Pipe on paw prints, let set until carob mixture is set, about 30-60 minutes
Notes
These were really fun to make. I did have a bit of a struggle with the carob mixture staying smooth, but it all worked out in the end.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Holiday Recipes and Gifts from the Kitchen
Linking to… Gooseberry Patch
13 Comments
I am just curious… how much does it cost to make these treats for your dog?
Hi Kelli, we found the brown rice flour at Kroger, it was about $3.50, the carob chips were $6/pound at the Health Food Store. Although the price is high, I’m guessing you could get about 5 or 6 batches out of one bag. You may also be able to order the ingredients online cheaper.
~Liz
First – let me say how lucky you are to have had Rocky for 15 years – but you already know that. He sits so nicely waiting for his treat.
We”re all trying to eat healthier so we should do the same for the furry members of our family. These are so cute and a nice alternative to the usual bone shaped treats. People sell doggy treats at the pet store and at green markets but they have colored accents (some of it almost looks like frosting) and I like to avoid coloring, even within dog food. When you make treats yourself, you know what’s inside and that it’s healthy for your pet.
Thanks for this post. My boy is 8 and he loves anything with peanut butter in it. I’m wondering if you melted the carob chips by themselves and then stirred in the peanut butter if that will work better as there’s really no need to melt peanut butter – unless the carob chips (which I’ve never bought before) need it to help them melt.
These will be great Christmas goody bags for all the wonderful dogs on my list and I may even make some for Thanksgiving gifts. Hey – we’re all enjoying a nice meal – they should too.
Give Rocky a squeeze for me. Such a good boy!
Hi there-
Great idea for my pet loving friends, and my own pooch. Just curious on the rice flour/gluten free, is this for dietary reasons for your own dog, or is this something that is healthier overall for all dogs? I personally am wheat free from allergies, but wasn’t aware for pets. thanks a bunch!
Hi Barb, it is better for animals, although we have also found that our dog is gluten free. So the treats are specific for animals that are gluten free, but won’t hurt animals that aren’t gluten free.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Liz
I used my home canned pumpkin and added a little corn oil (for shiny coats) to the recipe and it worked great! My little guys loved them.
Liz and Doug, I saw this over at Gooseberry Patch blog hop and had to come over and check it out! I’m so glad- these treats sound fantastic, and I love the way you dressed them up for gift-giving! Peanut butter and pumpkin… like you said, they must smell wonderful! Lucky doggies. 🙂
Love, Joy
How long can these be stored at room temp?
Hi Marie, you can keep the dog treats at room temp stored in a container for up to 3 weeks.
Happy Cooking!
~Liz
Hi there….Well I read your post earlier and tried this recipe and seriously it worked. My bruno that is ine dog eat all thing. Thank you so much for this recipe and I just hope that if I could get some more recipe like this from you.
Hi liz,
I believe that the dogs would be happy to receive this gift
Oh I bet they would Olivia! 🙂
mmm yummy! my dog gonna love this 😉