Ahh yes, fall is here and you know what that means -pumpkin EVERYTHING. We here at Yappy Life happen to love pumpkin season, and when we saw these pumpkin dog treats (recipe here), we just knew we had to make them for our pups. We can assure you they passed the taste test. See for yourself at the end of this post!
First things first, the ingredients:
2 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Eggs
½ Cup Canned Pumpkin
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter (I used all natural, no sugar added peanut butter)
½ Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon cinnamon
A small amount of water
(Not pictured: salt, cinnamon, water)
You’ll also need a cookie sheet, and something to cut out your treats with. I found this cute bone shaped cookie cutter at my local grocery store.
The next step is to preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). After that, just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and stir them until combined (yes, it’s that easy). I used a whisk, but you can also use a spoon. Add water by the teaspoon if you’re having trouble getting everything to come together. The doughs final consistency should be dry and stiff, but still workable.
Once everything is combined, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Honestly, I wasn’t going to get a ruler out and measure it, so I asked my family members and they said this looked fine. I also recommend putting some of the whole wheat flour on your work surface as well as the rolling pin. I added just a tiny bit more water than I should have, which made the dough just a touch sticky.
Next, cut out your treats using the tool of your choice and arrange them on a nonstick cooking sheet. I did not grease the pan at all and had no issues with the treats sticking once they were baked. I also would ball up the dough and reroll it to continue to cut more treats and ended up using pretty much all of the dough.
The last step was to bake them for 45 minutes until hard, and then cool completely (I stuck mine in the freezer because I have zero patience). Let me tell you, these will make your house smell delightful, and with the copious amount of leftover pumpkin I had I was inspired to make two whole loaves of pumpkin bread.
And last but not least was the taste test. We have three dogs in our house: Mali – the picky senior, and River and Pippa – the literal vacuum cleaners. First up was Mali. Since she is literally the pickiest dog I know, if she ate even one treat I would consider these a massive success.
I approached her with the treat, and she looked at me like I had four heads. But once I placed the treat in front of her….
SUCCESS! She absolutely loved it. Now on to our next two contestants, River the Golden Retriever and Pippa the Chihuahua.
River could smell the treat from a mile away and was basically salivating by the time we got through ‘sit’ and ‘stay’. He inhaled his at the speed of light, so I was only able to capture his before and after photos.
(Before)
(After)
I would say he looks pretty satisfied. I would also say that he looked on pathetically at Pippa while she slowly consumed hers only feet away.
Our last taste tester was Pippa. Getting her to sit still was nothing short of a miracle.
And in case you couldn’t guess, the treat was a hit with her too!
These bones were a little large for her, so I’ve been giving her a third of a bone at treat time. Store them in a Ziplock bag and be sure to keep an eye on them for freshness. They aren’t packed with preservatives like store-bought treats, so they will spoil faster. It’s been about a week since I made them, and they are still good.
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