On Halloween we highlighted how much our pups have meant to us. The girls built this amazing Halloween treat dog house so all the dogs in the neighborhood could stop and grab a treat. This week, we are making sure that something is under the tree for our pampered pets by making these delicious and allergy friendly candy cane and wreath dog biscuits!
Do you see our Elf? His name is Fizzy but yesterday he got stuck in the honey pot and landed in the picture too!
Kids and parents will love making these simple and easy dog biscuits. They don't take long at all and the dogs approve. In fact it was a full time job to get them to stay away from the treats while taking a picture. The treats did not last long after the picture was taken.
MY DOG IS ALLERGIC TO WHEAT. WHAT KIND OF FLOURS CAN I USE FOR THIS RECIPE? CAN I JUST USE GLUTEN FREE FLOUR FOR DOGS?
While it would be nice to just swap out a gluten free flour mix for whole wheat in a recipe, some of the gluten free flours aren't so great for dogs. In this recipe, we do not recommend using corn flour or flours with corn in them. Some dogs react to corn. I love this simple and easy chart to help determine what gluten free flours are best for your dog. You can download the copy for yourself too!
WHAT KIND OF NATURAL FOOD DYE CAN I USE FOR DOGS?
There are plenty of natural food dyes that work great! But there are some that don't work very well. You can use gel or water based food dyes but if you are looking for a natural food dye for dogs there are several options. I would stay away from using beet (red) or matcha (green) powder. While the dough will take on a nice color the natural powders don't hold up in the oven and they tend to lose color or look dull.
We like using TruColor natural gel food paste coloring. It's available in a lot of different colors and gives some great vibrant colors to recipes. We used it in our black velvet cake and it turned out beautiful!
Allergy Friendly Candy Cane and Wreath Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (can use whole wheat if your dog tolerates or a gluten free flour listed above)
- ¼ cup peanut or nut butter
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree or plain applesauce
- 2 eggs
- Water (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat then set aside.
- In the mixer, mix together all ingredients on low or until the dough is no longer sticky when touched. The dough will also begin to pull away and start forming a soft ball.
- If the dough is crumbly or not coming together add some water 1-2 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- If dough is too sticky add flour one tablespoon at a time.
- Once dough is to desired consistency, stop the mixer and divide dough into two equal parts. Add food coloring to each dough ball and with hands knead the food coloring into the dough until desired colored is achieved. (You can also wear gloves if needed)
- Roll each dough ball into long strips ("snakes") approximately ¼-1/2 inch thick. Twist the two colors together for a candy cane look. Cut the dough at desired lengths and form into candy canes. You can also do this and make wreaths. Simply dye the dough ball green and follow the instructions above.
- Place the dough onto a cookie sheet, then bake for 27-30 minutes or until candy canes are firm to the touch. Remove and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for several minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week. Treats can also be wrapped and given away as gifts.
Recipe inspired by Capturing Parenthood
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