Dog Biscuits - No Measuring

Sometimes I think that my two dogs (Possum Bean - pictured, and Taxi Bean) only eat their food because it's followed by a treat. Sometimes I buy treats and sometimes I make them, but my dogs much prefer the homemade ones as they will do all sorts of tricks to get a homemade one that they won't do for a store bought one. This is the first time I added bonito fish flakes to the mix and now my cat (Squid Bean) can't stop trying to get into the container sitting on the counter, so I have to say now that these are dog and cat biscuits.

I don't bother with measuring, or using a cookie cutter except at Christmas time (great and much appreciated gifts for doggie owners). These are fast, easy and delicious. I assume they are delicious, anyway I just have to take Possum and Taxi's ruffs ruffs, sitting and staying, and playing dead, as proof. Squid will lay down on command for a treat.

Step 1: Supplies

• A big mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheet
• Mixing spoon
• Pizza wheel or knife for cutting dough into biscuit shapes
• Peanut butter
• All sorts of good things you  may have in the cupboard such as but not limited to:
• Brown rice flour, flax seeds, bran, almond meal, oat meal flakes you can put into a blender to make oat flour, steel cut oats, bonito flakes, chicken broth or water, wheat germ, pecans, sea weed flakes, chickpea flour, buckwheat flour, molasses.

Step 2: Making Flours

If you use oatmeal and then go and try to cut the biscuits you will find you get some really ragged edges, I just run my oatmeal, and if I am using fish flakes, though the blender and that processing turns the ingredients into flour pretty quick.

Step 3: Dry Ingredients

Don't measure, just use what you have, a little of this and a little of that. If you don't have a problem with dogs and corm meal by all means use it, I have read that dogs can itch something terrible from corn meal so I don't use it - but it seems to be the main ingredient in most dog biscuits (that I don't buy) so what do I know.

My one dog, Taxi Bean, is allergic to eggs and she will throw up within 5 minutes of having anything with egg in it, so I don't use eggs as a binder, if you dog has no problems with eggs then by all means use them. There looks to be a great recipe using eggs and corn meal here on Instructables, by all means try it.

If all you have in the cupboard is white flour, whole wheat flour and or stale bread use that too - this is a treat - it doesn't matter too much what you use as long as you use some liquid and some peanut butter as a binder. 

I have pretty healthy stuff in my cupboard so that is what is tend to use, I try to stay away from flours from wheat in general but there can't be much harm, as I have said before - these are treats.

Step 4: Add Some Chicken Broth or Water

Add some liquid, enough to make a corse meal that you can still stir around with a spoon.

Step 5: Peanut Butter Acts Like the Binder.

Yes, it's Jif, yes it has sugar in it, but these are treats, if you really don't want your dog to have sugar or salt use natural peanut butter. Add a big dollop, then start to mix with your hands and add more liquid as necessary to have dough stick together when squished but not so moist that you won't be able to roll it with your rolling pin.

A great benefit of using peanut butter is that you won't have to grease your cookie sheet, and dogs love the flavor.

Step 6: Flatten and Roll

Step 7: Freeze What You Don't Use

Store what dough you don't use right away in the freezer and let it come to room temperature to make more biscuits in the future. The dough should keep for 6 months in the freezer with no problem.

Step 8: Cut Into Shapes

With a knife or a pizza wheel simply cut the uncooked dough into shapes and cook. I have a 16 pound dog and a 40 pound dog so no matter which biscuit I pick out, I break it in half and give Possum Bean the small half and Taxi Bean the large half.

Step 9: How Long to Bake Biscuits

In a preheated, 275 F degree oven, bake for an hour and let the biscuits cool-down inside the oven. They will get nice and dried out that way.

 

Step 10: This Is What They Look Like After Cooking and Cooling

A little shrunken, and nothing sticks to the pan.

Step 11: Storage

No need to keep in the fridge, they'll stay fresh until they're gone.

Step 12: Possum Loves Them!

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