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Homemade dog treats: Simple recipes your dog will love

By Vanessa Rodriguez

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: A dog is teased with some dog treats outside The Houses of Parliament during the Westminster Dog of The Year competition in Victoria Tower Gardens on October 25, 2012 in London, England. The annual competition was won by Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover and Deal with his Norfolk Terrier Star, who was among the 24 dogs entered into the competition which is run by Dog's Trust and the Kennel Club. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: A dog is teased with some dog treats outside The Houses of Parliament during the Westminster Dog of The Year competition in Victoria Tower Gardens on October 25, 2012 in London, England. The annual competition was won by Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover and Deal with his Norfolk Terrier Star, who was among the 24 dogs entered into the competition which is run by Dog's Trust and the Kennel Club. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) /
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Ever consider making homemade dog treats for your pooch? Don’t be intimidated, cooking up delicious and nutritious dog treats is easy. Well it can be, with these recipes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

You can’t go wrong with these homemade dog treats because every dog loves peanut butter. This recipe only asks for three ingredients, 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and two eggs.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together, add in a little water until the mixture is workable dough. Chill dough for about 30 minutes to an hour. The trick with any cookie is chilling the dough before baking. Then smooth out the dough with a rolling-pin. Use cookie cutters, or free hand, for cute dog shapes. Bake until cookies are firm, about 20-40 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries

Another beloved flavor for dogs is the sweet potato. For this recipe you’ll need 1 sweet potato, 1 tbsp. of melted coconut oil, turmeric, and cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut the sweet potato into fry size. Mix all the ingredients in a Ziploc or bowl. Once the potato fries are evenly coated spread them on a baking pan. Cook them for 15 minutes on both sides. Let cool before serving to your dog. These treats won’t keep as well in the refrigerator, so don’t make a batch that isn’t eaten past the first two days.

Pumpkin-Blueberry Bacon Pupsicles

Now that we’re moving into fall it’s the perfect time to bring out the pumpkin. You will need 1-2 14 oz. cans of pumpkin, 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/4 cup of crumbled bacon, water, and rawhide sticks.  The amount of pumpkin and water added depends on the size of your molds. Combine all ingredients but the rawhide sticks.  In your popsicle molds, put a few blueberries at the bottom, then fill it with the mixture. Tap the molds to remove any air bubbles. Then place a rawhide stick in each one. If it doesn’t stay in place, put Saran wrap over the top and then put in your rawhides. Put into the freezer until frozen.

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Apple Carrot Dog Biscuits

The recipe with the most ingredients on our list, this biscuit is jam-packed with goodies for your dog. You will need: 2 1/2 cups of wheat flour, 1/2 cup of oats, 1 apple (cored and grated), 1/2 cup of carrots (peeled and grated), 1 egg, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1/4-1/2 cup of water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients, flour, oats and brown sugar. Then wet ingredients, beat the egg, then mix in water, oil, carrots, and apple. Mix both wet and dry ingredients. Roll out the mixture and cut it out with cookie cutters, or into round discs with a small jar lid. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until biscuits are firm.

Homemade treats are easy if you have a good grasp of ingredients. Pumpkin, apples, sweet potato, and peanut butter are all healthy for your dog. Experiment with those, and you’ll come out with easy treats your dog will undoubtedly enjoy. Just be sure to look out for nutrition, sugar and high starch foods can lead to diabetes for your dog.

So cook wisely. Now get in that kitchen, I’m sure your dog can’t wait to see what you create.

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