This recipe is for Hoopa the happy black lab who we met at Point Isabel on Christmas Day. His owner Jenny requested a high-value treat to motivate Hoops to bring the ball back when playing fetch.
Tuna brownies are popular training tool because they’re smelly enough to get your dog’s attention, and many pups will do tricks for just a little nibble. There are quite a few variations in recipes I’ve found online, from including eggshells, to adding Parmesan cheese… This is my version, and one that Truffle really enjoys.
Ingredients:
2 cans of tuna in water (along with the water)
2 large eggs
1.5 cup whole wheat flour
2 garlic cloves, Microplaned (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup chicken stock or water
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch brownie pan with olive oil.
Using a blender or food processor, puree your tuna, along with the water in the cans. Finely grate your garlic (Microplanes are the best!), and chiffonade your parsley. Eh, just make it small 🙂
In a mixing bowl, bring this all together with the beaten eggs, flour, and chicken stock or water. When the mix resembles a brownie batter consistency, pour it into the pan and bake for 20-25 min. Test with a toothpick–if it comes out clean, your pupple brownies are ready!
Let the brownies rest for a bit, but make sure to cut them while still warm. We use a pizza roller to make long bars and freeze most of the batch. I take out a few bars from the freezer at a time and cut or break off bits for training.
Jenny, and any other readers out there, let us know how these tuna brownies work out for you!
4 replies on “Recipe: Tuna Brownies”
Hoopa was given a Kong Marathon for Christmas, but the biscuits that fit inside are expensive. I wish I could make a mold and then bake your biscuits into the shape that fits the Marathon! I’ll have to visit TAP Plastics in El Cerrito to investigate … silicone baking molds for dog biscuits, anyone?
Oh man, we bought Truffle a Kong Marathon (since she loves her regular Kongs). We looked away for 3 minutes, and and she ate a bunch of the bright pink plastic along with the bone shaped treat. Apparently she is a “tough chewer” 😉
Dang — be careful what you wish for. The internet it stuffed (pun intended) with silicone dog treat molds. But as someone noted — Dogs don’t care about the shapes. Not sure I’ll be able to resist some of those cookie cutters even so. There are trays for freezing treats that will fit inside regular Kongs, but not yet a mold for Kong Marathon biscuits.
Cookie cutters definitely make dog baking more fun for us humans!