Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I love my pug princess. Xena gets a whole ribeye steak every year for her birthday. The good quality premium meat too. We’re constantly buying things for Xena. She even gets souvenirs when we go on vacation – we found some lobster dog treats for her while in NYC. She has everything ever made for dogs: a plethora of squeaky toys, clothes that she hates to wear, the fanciest dog brushes (note the plural), multiple dog beds, and other things that I’ve forgotten we bought her. We’re not particularly proud of this. We’re aware that treating your dog like a human child is slightly abnormal. But how the hell do you resist a face like that????

I’m a huge Etsy fan. I constantly buy things from Etsy shops. One random day, I received an Etsy promotional email and the featured item was a custom dog bone shaped cookie cutter with name of your choice. It was like I had found the one thing on Earth that Xena didn’t have: personalized dog biscuits. Immediately the cutters were in my shopping cart and I was inputting my billing info. I decided to hand make all of Xena’s cookies moving forward to incorporate all her favorite flavors and so she’d always have the freshest doggie treats. Sighs, she’s a spoiled pug because of me…

Breath Freshening Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Ingredients

• 2 cups wheat flour + extra for dusting
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint, chopped
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• Cold water (if needed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350℉
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Mix flour and oats in a medium bowl and set aside
4. Mix together pumpkin, peanut butter, and eggs
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, add parsley and mint, and mix well by hand
6. Add water to make the dough workable, but only if needed
7. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes in refrigerator
8. Dust a flat dry surface with flour and roll out dough into about ¼” thickness
9. Cut into desired dog treat shape/size
10. Lay the pieces onto the parchment paper about 1” apart and bake for 15 minutes
11. Flip biscuits and bake for additional 10 minutes
12. Cool completely on a rack before giving to your pup

Because the treats are made with no preservatives, they will not last in the cupboard for long periods of times like the store bought stuff. I would say a batch will last for about 2 weeks in a ziplock bag in the fridge; longer if in the freezer. Don’t forget to thaw out the treats if you put them in the freezer though! Xena went bonkers for these treats so hopefully your furry friend will too.