Easy, Healthy Dog Cookie (or Treat) Recipes

With four large dogs in the family, I've had to evaluate the nutrition of the food and treats that we buy to ensure long, healthy lives for our faithful companions. You'd be surprised by how many dog food companies produce sub-par meals and snacks that do more harm than good. Here are some easy recipes (most with ingredients you probably already have) you can use to make your own dog treats, giving your furry friend years of longevity. These are three treat/cookie recipes that my dogs prefer. I hope yours likes them as well!

Penny's Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe (for the peanut butter loving dog):
2 cups whole-wheat (or regular baking) flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (Jif seems to work best)
1 cup milk (canned or fresh, stay away from soymilk)

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder). In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (peanut butter and milk). Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine thoroughly. Take the dough out of the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead (be sure everything is combined). Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes or alternatively use a knife to cut squares (dropping directly on a cookie sheet doesn't work well for this recipe, uniform thickness is key). Bake for about 15 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Remove immediately, cool on a rack, and store in an airtight container. Cookies will last several days; frozen treats will last 3-4 months.

Sammy's Swell Breath Buster Dog Cookies Recipe (for the dog with bad breath):
2 cups whole wheat (or regular baking) flour
1/2 cups cornmeal
1/3 cups chopped fresh mint (1 tbsp dried mint)
1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley (1.5 tbsp dried parsley)
3/4 cup water
6 tbsp safflower (or vegetable) oil

Preheat oven to 350'. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, chopped mint and parsley. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thickness. Cut dough in to shapes with cookie cutters or use a knife to cut in to squares (dropping directly on a cookie sheet doesn't work well for this recipe, uniform thickness is key). Place shapes on to lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 40 min and allow treats to stay in the oven a few hours or overnight before removing. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Daisy and Dixie's Favorite Breakfast Bars Recipe (this recipe makes lots of cookies for the large canine family):
12 cup oatmeal
4 cup whole wheat (or regular baking) flour
8 eggs
3/4 cup oil (vegetable works best)
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups milk (evaporated or fresh)
Optional:
1 can solid pack pumpkin or 1 large mashed sweet potato
3-4 mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 325'. Use a very large bowl for this recipe (must be able to hold 16 cups of dry ingredients). Mix everything together with hands (it's easiest to start with dry and add wet, stirring together continuously) and pat on to greased cookie sheets about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Cook for an hour, then let cookies cool on baking sheets for about an hour before breaking them in to whatever size your dog prefers.