Crunchy Dog Treats with Blueberry, Oats, and Peanut Butter
Who doesn't love to spoil their dog? These crunchy dog treats made with blueberries, peanut butter, and oats will become your dog's new favorite cookie!
Servings: 35 treats
Calories: 50kcal
Equipment
- a stand mixer
- a rolling pin
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries fresh, frozen, or dried
- ¾ cup oats
- 2 ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (make sure it does not have xylitol in it)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ - ½ cup warm water adjust the water depending on the texture of your dough after mixing
Optional
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon kosher salt optional - but salt improves the taste if humans are going to eat these
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 ⅛ 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 ⅛ - ¼ 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 ½ 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
Tips
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 pinIf 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. Storage 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.)
- 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 ½ inches long.
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 pinIf 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. Storage 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
Serving: 1g | Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg