Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats ~ easy to make and your dog will love them! A healthy recipe with pure pumpkin, applesauce and bacon bits. They also makes great gifts!
Recipe adapted from Pet Guide.
What’s not to love about a dog? Excited, happy and an always-up-for-anything attitude? Plus who else greets you at the door as enthusiastically as your dog?
A few years ago we said goodbye to our 14 year old Golden Retriever Paddy and went dog-less. This meant we wore black clothes without looking like a fur ball and vacuumed way less often, but we missed having a furry friend around.
After several unsuccessful attempts to we found our furever friend Ruby aka Ruby Doo – or when she’s doing something she shouldn’t – Ruby Don’t!
She has a child-like excitement and while we don’t know exactly breed(s) she is, we agree that Ruby is funny, full of life and we’re glad to have her with us.
Meet Ruby:
Ruby is only 26 pounds but she’s big on heart, enthusiasm and sass. She’s a happy little dog found wandering the streets by our local animal control without microchip, collar or tags.
My niece tuned us in to Ruby and after meeting her it was a done deal. She’s not just a member of our family but an official recipe tester of A Gouda Life.
Ruby is about a year old, a master cuddler, even better dog toy destroyer, loves going for walks and has ears so large she looks like she could take flight. This one’s for her.
What’s in Peanut Butter Dog Treats?
- pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
- creamy peanut butter
- egg
- unsweetened applesauce
- whole wheat flour
- baking soda
- real bacon bits
Health benefits of Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats:
Pure pumpkin: a great source of fiber and helps with digestion. Make sure you aren’t using pumpkin pie filling because it contains ingredients you won’t want your dog to eat.
Eggs: good protein for your dog.
Applesauce: rich in calcium, beneficial for healthy bones, nails and teeth. Applesauce also supports your dog’s heart health.
Whole wheat flour: good for dogs – and us – as part of a balanced diet.
Bacon: The small amount of bacon in this recipe isn’t harmful to your dog, but leave it out if you’re rather.
For questions or concerns about the ingredients used in this recipe, please consult your veterinarian.
How to make Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats:
Preheat the oven to 350° then combine the pumpkin, peanut butter, egg and applesauce in a bowl. Fold the baking soda and flour into the same bowl. The dough will be thick. I used my hands to finish blending it.
When the dough is completely blended add the bacon bits again folding with your hands until they’re mixed in.
Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface about ¼” thick then cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. You can use any shape at all – your dog won’t even mind if you just cut them into squares!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then transfer the treats onto the baking sheet. They don’t need much room between because they’ll puff but won’t spread out.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Make sure the treats are completely cool before offering one to your furry friend.
How long will these dog treats keep?
The treats will keep up to one week on the counter in an air tight container or in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Can I freeze these dog treats?
Yes – store them in an air tight container in the freezer up to 2 months.
Enjoy!
If you tried this Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!
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Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Equipment
- Optional: any shape cookie cutters. They can also be just cut into squares.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup packaged real bacon bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then combine the pumpkin, peanut butter, egg and applesauce in a bowl. Fold in the baking soda and flour stirring until combined. The dough will be thick. I used my hands to finish combining it.
- When the flour is completely blended add the bacon bits again folding with your hands until they're mixed in.
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface about ¼” thick then cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. You can use any shape at all - or just cut into squares.!
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then transfer the treats to the baking sheet. They don’t need much room between because they’ll puff but won’t spread out.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Make sure the treats are completely cool before offering to your furry friend.
- See body of post for storage instructions.
These Rock!!
Thanks! Ruby agrees 🙂
Our dog loves these treats!
So glad! The ingredients were picked with dogs in mind 🙂