Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies (. . . for dogs)

Last month, we adopted a wonderful Australian cattle dog named Sydney.  She has adopted us very quickly, and has become very protective.  We’re working on training her to be more obedient so she won’t bark for hours at anyone who comes to visit.  Training requires treats, so I thought I’d try out a recipe for homemade doggie treats.  Sydney seems to approve heartily, based on the way she licked my hand to get up all the crumbs (don’t worry, I only gave her a taste test after she sat and followed the “Look at me” command).

Since I’d never made dog treats, I turned to a reliable source of all sorts of recipes – King Arthur Flour.  These came together easily and made the house smell great.  

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Dog Treats

Adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup rolled oats (regular or quick; I used regular) 
• 1 TBSP dried parsley 
• other spices, as desired (I added a bit of sage) – look up what’s good for doggies 
• 1/2 cup nonfat dried milk
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
• 1/2 cup cold water, plus more as needed 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  Add peanut butter, eggs, and 1/2 cup cold water.  Mix with a sturdy spatula until it forms a cohesive dough (it will still be a little crumbly).  If needed, add more water, tablespoon by tablespoon.  

Take chunks of the dough, roll into balls about 1″ in diameter.  Place on the baking sheet and flatten.  Space the treats well, but you don’t need to leave as much space between the treats as you would between, say, chocolate chip cookies. 

Bake for about 30 minutes.  The cookies should be light brown, crunchy, and dry.   

If you have cookie cutters to use, you can roll out the dough to 1/4″ thick and cut into shapes.  You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the cookie cutters.  

I have not taste tested these, although they’re certainly edible for humans, but Sydney approves.  

Sydney sometimes looks pitiful, but I think it’s a ploy to get more treats.