Baking For Dogs ~ Melissa, Receptionist

Not only do I have a love for animals—I have a love for cooking. Specifically baking. I love the fact I can meld the two by making treats for my dogs. And even better, I can use this opportunity to include my toddler and teach him a slew of life skills. Mom win!

I frequently make treats for my four-legged kiddos that include fresh produce from our local farmers market or my garden (my other passion). My dogs love sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, and blueberries, so I incorporate these in their snacks along with other healthy ingredients.

Today I am making apple and carrot biscuits. This recipe is simple and makes a fairly large batch depending on what size cookie cutters you use. You can also roll the dough out and use a knife to cut it into 1 to 2-inch squares instead of using a cookie cutter. My toddler thought it best to use as many cookie cutters as possible…

You will need:

• A large cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Cooling rack
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Cheese grater

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (3 ¼ cups for the dough, ¼ cup for dusting)
•  ½ cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup grated carrots
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I am using all-purpose flour today, but I have also used whole wheat flour and almond flour, and both work well. Measure out 3 ¼ cup of flour and pour into your mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and stir well. 

Add ¾ cup of unsweetened applesauce, ½ cup of water, and 1 egg. Mix until well incorporated. Grate 1 cup of carrots. This equaled 1 large carrot for us. Add this to your dough, and stir until completely mixed. Dough will be stiff but a bit sticky. 

Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and also your rolling pin. Roll dough out to a ¼ inch thickness. You may need to dust your rolling pin throughout the process. Once you have reached the desired thickness, use your cookie cutter to cut out the treats. Place ½ inch apart on your cookie sheet. You can use any size cookie cutters you like. We used small cutters since my toddler likes to feed our dogs treats throughout the day. (No complaints from the girls about that!)

Once your baking sheet is full, place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place them on a cooling rack. Let them completely cool before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month, though in our house they are gone in about 2 weeks. You can store extra dough in the freezer for up to 6 months.

I hope your pups love these treats as much as mine do. Next time, I will share some treat recipes for our feline friends.

Thanks for reading!

Melissa