Epicurean Vegan

Sorry, these may not look appetizing to you, but your dog will love them! Have you ever looked at the ingredients in some commercial dog treats? They are packed full of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and animal products. They’re pricey, too. Save your money (and your dog’s health) by making your own—they’re so simple. Our dog, Moe (a 90-lb lap dog) LOVES peanut butter and as much fun as it can be to watch him try to lick it off the roof of his mouth, biscuit treats are a much simpler (and less messy) alternative. These would be cute cut into the shape of dog biscuits, but since we usually only give him small treats at a time, making these bit-sized ones were ideal. The recipe is from All Natural Dog Treat, offering lots of different recipes, including a grain-free peanut butter recipe. These treats will keep at room temperature for 2-3 weeks, or 6 weeks in the refrigerator. They are also freeze-able and . . . Moe-Approved.

Sorry about the duck, folks. But Moe knows we don’t eat meat and that his birthday present—turned 4 earlier this month—is just for pretend.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 C whole wheat flour

1-1/2 C white flour

1/2 C organic, all-natural peanut butter

1 C water

2 Tbs oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Using a mixer, combine the water, oil and peanut butter; cream until mixed well. Add the flours one cup at a time. You will have a crumbly mixture. This is where Moe poked his head into the kitchen, fully aware that I was making something with his most favorite and beloved ingredient. He stuck by my side in the kitchen until The Husband took him for a walk.

Press together tightly to form a hard ball.

I then divided the dough in half so that it’s easier to work with. Just work a little quickly as the other half of the dough will start to get a bit drier. Roll out to a 1/4″ thickness and cut into 3-4″ shapes. I used a pizza cutter to make little squares. Obviously, feel free to make any size or shape that your pup’s little heart desires.

This is just half the dough—I ended up with twice this much. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Hopefully, the peanut butter smell in the house isn’t torturing Moe, but at least he gets these all-natural treats to make up for it!