Homemade Dog Biscuits

Every now and then I make my pups homemade dog biscuits in place of their normally store bought treats. It's much better for them, much more natural, and the recipes call for ingredients you can pronounce, unlike most of the store bought varieties! I feel like pets sometimes get left out with gift receiving around the holidays, so I wanted a little way to remind my doggies that I love 'em. These treats are very simple to make and only involved four ingredients, all of which were already in my pantry. I ended up making just over four dozen dog biscuits with this recipe, which allowed me to share the love with neighborhood dogs!

 

You will need 1 cup of rolled oats, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup of peanut butter (you can use a natural peanut butter if you like, but this is what I had on hand), and 1 1/4 cups of hot water. Have some additional flour on hand for rolling out the dough.



First, preheat the oven to 350* F. Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix in the peanut butter and the hot water. Knead the dough well. Roll out the dough into 1/4" thickness and cut out into any shape you like. I used a dog-bone shaped cookie cutter, but you can use any cookie cutter or just use a knife to make random shapes.



Place the dog biscuits into a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes. I found that the first batch were almost too well-done, so I cooked the following batches for about 30 minutes. Obviously, the thicker the biscuit, the longer time it will need to spend in the oven for a harder treat. If your dog prefers a more chewy treat instead of a crunchy treat, cook it for about 10-15 minutes. 

Remove the dog biscuits from the cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack. The treats can be served right away if your dog can't resist the smell like my pups, but it is best if they sit for about 24 hours to firm up completely. 

Taste testers Milo and Indie approve!

Store these dog biscuits in an airtight container. They will keep about a week at room temperature, about three weeks in the refrigerator, and about 6 months in the freezer.

There are many things you can to do add some variety to this recipe. Try replacing the peanut butter with bananas, replacing the water with milk, or adding in some mint for fresh doggie breath! The possibilities are endless!