Recipe for Homemade Halloween Cookies for Dogs

Halloween is a time when everyone wants sweet treats, including the family dog. While you are sitting in front of the TV unwrapping your candy, your dog will most likely be begging for you to share. But candy is not good for your dog. So, what you can do is bake up a batch of fun Halloween cookies for your dog instead! Then keep some by your chair, and when it's time for your treat, you will have something to hand over to your pet, too.

[Also check out Dog Treat Recipe: Chicken Popsicles]

You can use any rolled dough dog treat recipe for Halloween, then just cut the treats with a Halloween shaped cookie cutter. If your dog does not care about the shape (and he won't), you can save time and trouble and just cut shapes freehand or just make square or rectangle shaped treats.

If you need a good dog cookie recipe, here is one you might like to try. You can eat these cookies too, if you want.

Mock Pumpkin Halloween Cookies for Dogs

This cookie uses carrots instead of pumpkin. It still adds the orange you need for Halloween, but gives your dog the carrot flavor he craves.

2 cups carrots, boiled and pureed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ

Combine the carrots, eggs and garlic in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix with the spoon then knead a bit with your hands.

Roll out the dough on a heavily floured surface until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter (or cut by hand). Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. If you want a glossy finish, brush the cookies with egg white before baking.

[You might also like Homemade Garlic Chicken Chewies for Dogs]

Bake the cookies at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or to desired crunchiness. Then remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and let them cool before serving them to your dog. The centers will continue to harden as they cool.

Store the cookies in a zip lock bag or in any covered container. Freeze any cookies that will not be eaten within two weeks.

If you have friends with dogs, make up some doggie treat bags and hand them out as gifts to the dogs. The dogs will love their treats and your friends will be thrilled that you thought about their pooch for Halloween.