Homemade healthy peanut butter and carob dog treats. What dog doesn't love peanut butter! Plus the carob makes them think they are getting forbidden chocolate.
Our gorgeous girl Harley turned two over the weekend. With Josh in the USA and Mac in Italy, it was very much a girls home alone birthday party. We didn't really "party" as such. There was some fetch, a walk and as it was a stinker of a hot day in Sydney, lots of time inside with the air conditioner on.
I decided to make her some cookies instead of a cake. If we were having a doggo party, sure a cake would have been fun. She loves peanut butter, and is a big fan of carob. As I have found out with the carob rocky road I made her for Christmas last year.
Peanut butter and carob dog treats seemed like a good idea. They remind me of thumbprint cookies, and are made the same way. Different ingredients of course.
party girl at doggy day care, not sure what she thought of the tutu and cake hat......
feeling quite at home asleep on the lounge and macbook
helping with a photo shoot for pea and rosemary dog treats
but mum, I want some...
There is no flour or sugar in these dog treats. Harley would have been happy with an added touch of sweetness as she has a sweet tooth. These look like they are naughty treats, but they are on the nice side of the scale.
Eggs, peanut butter, rolled oats, polenta and carob. That's it. Five ingredients only for something special for your doggo. There are six ingredients if you count the carob buttons on top. These are totally optional, but I have noted they are the first thing that Harley eats when given one of these peanut butter and carob dog treats.
Recipe pressure points
This is a simple recipe that would be a fun one to get the kids involved with. My trick when making them is to wet your hands when rolling the mixture into balls. The mixture is sticky and wet hands will help prevent the mixture sticking to your hands.
Special equipment for this recipe
None. A bowl, spoon and baking sheet. Simple simple simple!
Special Ingredients for this Recipe
Carob: I purchase my carob powder and buttons from my local health food store. It is human grade food, which means you can try one of the cookies too. I did.
You local pet store will have carob buttons in their dog treat section. I prefer to use the non sweetened human grade ones.
What to do with any leftovers
Store the peanut butter and carob dog treats in an air tight container on your bench or in the doggy treat section of your pantry.
I can't believe our crazy fur ball Harley has turned two!
Sara xxx
Printable Recipe
Peanut Butter and Carob Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 120 grams (⅓ cup) peanut butter
- 90 grams (1 cup) rolled oats
- 70 grams (⅓ cup) fine polenta
- 40 grams (¼ cup) carob powder, no sugar added
- 30 carob buttons, no sugar added
- 40 ml (2 tablespoon) water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven 180°C (350°F).
- Line a two baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl whisk eggs and peanut butter together. Add rolled oats, polenta and carob powder. Add water if the mixture is too thick. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Wet hands and roll in to walnut size balls, place on prepared baking sheets.
- Press a carob button firmly into the centre of each dough ball. Press to make a thumbprint and flatten the balls slightly. The balls will not spread or flatten during cooking.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and leave cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes. Then remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
Recipe Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
KGBrown
Can you use cornmeal for polenta?
Sara McCleary
Hi KG
You could, the biscuits will have a different texture, but they will still work and be doggo delicious.
Cheers, Sara
Fiona
Normal peanut butter is actually toxic to dogs.
Sara McCleary
Hi Fiona
You are actually incorrect. Normal peanut butter is perfectly fine for dogs. What you may be thinking of is an artificial sweetener called xylitol which is added to some peanut butters.
You have made a good point. If you are buying a peanut butter that has been artificially sweetened it could contain xylitol. Luckily all regular peanut butter doesn't contain it.
Cheers, Sara
Rosa
Can the polenta be omitted or substituted?
Sara McCleary
Hi Rosa
I would substitute the same measure (1/3 cup) of wholemeal flour. You may need to add a little more water to the cookie dough mixture. See how it turns out, and adjust as needed.
Cheers, Sara
Carissa
Can cats eat this too? I would love to try it with my cats. They love sweets too but I am always careful on giving them too much. I'm glad the ingredients are all healthy. It will make me feel at ease trying this with them! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
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So, finally I found someone cooking for this special family member on web. Loved your recipe will cook and gift it to him this Christmas.