Who doesn't love to spoil their dog? These crunchy, blueberry dog treats made with peanut butter and oats will become your dog's new favorite cookie!
I made these dog biscuits on a whim. I was cleaning out the freezer to load up on fresh berries and found a bag of blueberries from last year. Our dog, Melly, loves this one kind of crunchy blueberry treat that is hard to find, so I thought it might be fun to make her some. She LOVES them. (They smell so good that we actually tasted them. They taste pretty good, but are kind of dry and crumbly, like a Milk Bone treat.)
I love being able to give my dog treats with recognizable ingredients. I know what is in them, so I know she isn't being fed garbage. I also love how much she LOVES them. Melly will sing for her treats!
🥘 Ingredients
- Blueberries (if they are frozen, you can also add the juice from the bag) - optionally, you can use dried blueberries but you will need to add more liquid
- Oats - (I like to use Old Fashioned Oats)
- Whole Wheat Flour (I usually purchase King Arthur Flour - Regular Whole Wheat and White Whole Wheat both work. In the store, you should be able to find it for under $5 a bag - prices online are a little high right now!)
- Eggs
- Peanut Butter - Make sure that you find a kind of peanut butter that does not have any artificial sweeteners like xylitol in it - that is toxic to dogs.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Warm Water
🍽 Equipment Needed
- a stand mixer
- a rubber spatula
- cookie cutters (I like to use these bone-shaped ones from Amazon.)
- a baking sheet (I like these because they
- a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper
🥣 How to Make Them
These dog treats are really easy to make and your dog will love them!
First, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Then, add your blueberries to your mixing bowl. If you are using frozen blueberries, smash them around a little with the mixer. (Picture 1) This will help break the big blueberries up into smaller pieces and mash some of the juices out. If you are using fresh or dried blueberries, give them a rough chop so that they are easier to incorporate in the dough.
Next, add your oats and mix them up with the blueberries. (Picture 2 - 3)
Finally, add the rest of your ingredients - flour, eggs, kosher salt, peanut butter, and cinnamon. (Picture 4)
Mix together until everything is mostly combined - it will be a bit dry and crumbly. (Picture 5)
Now, add about 1/8 cup of warm water to the dough and mix until it sticks together in a ball. If the dough still seems dry, continue adding warm water in 1/8 - 1/4 cup increments. (Picture 6) (My blueberries were frozen and released a bunch of liquid when they defrosted, so I only added 1/8 cup of water. If your blueberries are fresh, you may need up to 1/2 a cup of water. If you are using dried blueberries, you will definitely need to add at least 1/2 a cup of water. Ideally, you want the dough to be like a pasta dough or sugar cookie dough - stiff but moldable and not runny and sticky.)
Next, flour a clean surface to roll out your dough with a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine - no one here is judging.) (Picture 7) Roll it out to about 1/2 an inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want to make these really thin or they will burn. If you make them a little too thick, you can get away with just cooking them for a little longer.
Then, cut out your treats using your favorite cookie-cutters. (Picture 8 - 9) If you don't want to use a cookie-cutter, you can also use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and just cut 1 x 1-inch squares or 1 x 2-inch rectangles.
Place your cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. They don't have to be spaced too far apart because they won't really expand, but they will stick together if they are touching. (Picture 9)
Bake in the oven at 350°F for 40 minutes, until the biscuits are hard/crunchy.
Let the treats cool for a few minutes and then let your pup try them out!
Melly sure loves them!
🙋♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
You can use fresh, frozen, or even dried blueberries. If you use dried blueberries, try to avoid sweetened blueberries and definitely avoid blueberries made with artificial sweetener.
Absolutely! You can replace the blueberries with one cup of canned pumpkin or one cup of unsweetened applesauce. If you are using applesauce or pumpkin, you will most likely not need to add much water so keep an eye on that! (You can also use mashed, cooked sweet potato!)
Absolutely. I love using bone-shaped cookie-cutters, but you can just cut the dough into squares, rectangles, circles, hearts - even Santa Claus or Christmas trees - whatever your heart desires.
If you do not have a rolling pin, you can use a bottle of wine or any large and round glass bottle. Just make sure that you clean the outside of the bottle and don't be too rough with it.
🍴Variations
You can replace blueberries in these treats with all kinds of things. You can make:
- dog treats with canned pumpkin
- dog treats with applesauce
- dog treats with cooked and mashed sweet potato
Let me know what dog treat combinations you try!
🍳 Serving Suggestions/Uses
Serve these treats as often as you would give your dog a regular hard biscuit - not too many, but make sure they are happily spoiled 😉
Melly weighs somewhere around 45 pounds and she usually gets 2 or 3 of these a day. (I'm sure she would happily accept more if we offered!)
🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating
Store these treats in an air-tight container. They are really crunchy, so as long as they are not exposed to moisture, they should last a good while. (I like to freeze half of the batch since I only have one dog and she won't go through them that quickly.)
📋 Tips
- Try not to over-roll or over-mix your dough. It will lose some of its stretch and be hard to work with if you overwork it. (It will start to get that pizza dough spring back where you roll it out and it shrinks back up 😉 )
- These treats would make a great dog birthday gift!
- Make sure to find a peanut butter that does not have any artificial sweeteners like xylitol in it - that is toxic to dogs.
- Try out different variations of shapes and cookie sizes - I like to use these cookie cutters from Amazon. They come in a set of five and I usually use the middle size - it is about 3 1/2 inches long.
🐶 Try These Other Great Pet Recipes
- Homemade Dog Food
- Pupkin Spice Pumpkin Dog Treats
- Instant Pot Homemade Dog Food
- Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats
- Frozen Peanut Butter and Bone Broth "Pupsicles"
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
📋 Recipe
Melly's Favorite Crunchy Dog Treats - Blueberry, Oat, and Peanut Butter
Equipment
- a stand mixer
- a rolling pin
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries fresh, frozen, or dried
- 3/4 cup oats
- 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 - 1/2 cup warm water adjust the water depending on the texture of your dough after mixing
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Next, add your blueberries to your mixing bowl. (If you are using frozen blueberries, smash them around a little with your mixer. This will help break up the big blueberries into smaller pieces and mash some of the juices out. If you are using fresh or dried blueberries, give them a rough chop so that they are easier to smush around in the dough.)
- Now, add your oats and mash them up with the blueberries.
- Lastly, add your flour, eggs, kosher salt, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
- Mix together until everything is mostly combined - it will be a bit dry and crumbly. Add about 1/8 cup of warm water to the dough, and mix until it sticks together in a ball. If the dough still seems dry, continue adding warm water in 1/8 - 1/4 cup increments.
- Next, flour a clean surface to roll out your dough with a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine - no one here is judging.)
- Roll the dough out to about 1/2 an inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want to make these really thin or they will burn. If you make them a little too thick, you can get away with just cooking them for a little longer.
- Next, cut out your treats using your favorite cookie-cutters. (If you don't want to use a cookie-cutter, you can also use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and just cut 1 x 1-inch squares or 1 x 2-inch rectangles. )
- Place your cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. They don't have to be spaced too far apart because they won't really expand, but they will stick together if they are touching.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F for 40 minutes, until the biscuits are hard/crunchy.
- Let the treats cool off, then share with your favorite pup!
Notes
- Try not to over-roll or over-mix your dough. It will lose some of its stretch and be hard to work with if you overwork it. (It will start to get that pizza dough spring back where you roll it out and it shrinks back up 😉 )
- These treats would make a great dog birthday gift!
- Make sure to find a peanut butter that does not have any artificial sweeteners like xylitol in them - that is toxic to dogs.
- Try out different variations of shapes and cookie sizes - I like to use these cookie cutters from Amazon. They come in a set of five and I usually use the middle size - it is about 3 1/2 inches long.
- What kind of blueberries can you use?
- You can use fresh, frozen, or even dried blueberries. If you use dried blueberries, try to avoid sweetened blueberries and definitely avoid blueberries made with artificial sweetener.
- Can you make these treats with any other fruit?
- Absolutely! You can replace the blueberries with one cup of canned pumpkin or one cup of unsweetened applesauce. If you are using applesauce or pumpkin, you will most likely not need to add much water so keep an eye on that! (You can also use mashed, cooked sweet potato!)
- Can you bake these treats in other shapes?
- Absolutely. I love using bone-shaped cookie-cutters, but you can just cut the dough into squares, rectangles, circles, hearts - even Santa Claus or Christmas trees - whatever your heart desires.
- What can you use in place of a rolling pin?
- If you do not have a rolling pin, you can use a bottle of wine or any large and round glass bottle. Just make sure that you clean the outside of the bottle and don't be too rough with it.
- Store these treats in an air-tight container. They are really crunchy, so as long as they are not exposed to moisture, they should last a good while. (I like to freeze half of the batch since I only have one dog and she won't go through them that quickly.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
These look great, kari! I'm going to make them for our pup, harry. 🙂
You might want to add a warning about xylitol in peanut butter... more brands have been "sneaking" that in as a sweetener, and it's extremely toxic to dogs. So it's something people definitely need to watch out for.