Tag: biscuits

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New Year’s Resolution Cookies

I hope you are all out there working on your goals for the year, whether they are to fight for social justice…

Here’s a super supportive puppo participating in the Toronto #WomensMarch today. 13/10

A photo posted by WeRateDogs (@weratedogs) on

or to stop and smell the flowers…

One of my new year’s resolutions is to post more frequently, and Truffle’s is to eat more snacks, so here is our first recipe of the year!

This cookie is loaded with healthy ingredients: carrots, flax seed, coconut oil (keeps our coats pretty!) and arugula, which is nutritious for dogs, but should be given in small doses, and preferably cooked.

Ingredients

2 large carrots
1 cup arugula
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 large egg
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of water

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grind your flax seeds in a food processor, then put them into the bowl of your stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl. Chop the arugula in the same food processor (no need to clean in-between), followed by the carrots. Add your egg and coconut oil, and mix thoroughly. Add the flour a bit at a time, and then the 1/2 cup of water.

Once your dough comes together, roll out to about 1/3 inch thick, and cut out into desired shapes. Bake for 30 min. Let cool, and enjoy!

As with all homemade treats, keep in the fridge, or freeze and defrost as needed.

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Orphan Dog Cookies

Around this time last year, Karen Schaver and her volunteers were gearing up for the Texas Freedom Ride. Lake County based rescue Orphan Dog homes 250 dogs every year, mostly in Northern California. Once a year during Karen’s summer vacation from teaching, they go farther afield. Last year, they went to Texas and brought back a van full of dogs from high-kill shelters. Truffle and her brothers were three of the lucky pups, and their people are very, very grateful.

I made these cookies in honor of Orphan Dog. Rescue puppies deserve healthy and high-value treats! These have been very popular at our favorite dog park…

orphandogcookies

Ingredients

220g canned salmon, drained and picked through to remove larger bones
1 cup peas
125 g carrot
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 egg
3 tbsp coconut oil

Grind the flax seeds in a food processor, and move to a mixing bowl. Shred about 3 medium carrots in the food processor, then add 1 cup of peas and chop again. Add the canned salmon to the food processor to make sure any remaining bones are blitzed. (Salmon bones from tins should be safe for dogs and humans, since they’ve been pressure canned. They’re also a good source of calcium.) Add this wet mixture to 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, and knead by hand or in a stand mixer. Add extra flour if necessary to bring dough into a ball.

Once the dough comes together, roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes for cookies that break off easily (good for training), or 20-25 min. for dry biscuits. Either way, since these are made from fresh ingredients, make sure to store your cookies in the fridge or freezer.

Happy Independence Day, puppers!

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Recipes

Heart BEET and Ricotta Cookies

heartBEETlook

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s a perfect excuse to bake some special cookies for Truffle and friends.

I love the amazing fuschia of red beets. Peeling them makes for stained hands, but luckily, you can find cooked red beets at lots of markets now. We had some part-skim ricotta leftover from lasagnas. You can substitute an extra egg if your dog is lactose-intolerant, but Truffle has no problem with cheese… except the problem of NOT getting enough cheese!

Ingredients:

250g cooked beets, pureed
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F. Roughly chop the cooked beets and puree in a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup part skim ricotta and mix thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients, including 1 beaten egg to 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour. Bring together using a stand mixer, or do it the old-fashioned way if you want pink hands for days!

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Half-inch thickness works well for smaller cookie cutters. Cut out your shapes and bake in oven for 15-20 min. The longer you bake the cookies, the less pink they’ll become, so it worth checking after 12 min. or so. Let cool and store in fridge or freeze for up to a couple months.

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Review: Trader Joe’s Turkey & Cranberry Dog Treats

TJturkeycran

I was drawn in by the delightfully silly box art.

turkeycranberry

These treats are shaped like turkey legs, and they measure about 1.5 inches on the long end. They’re very hard, not at all crumbly, which is good if you want to put a few treats in your pocket or something… But, the first time we gave Truffle a biscuit, she pushed it out of her mouth. She wasn’t sure what to do with the size (too small for gnawing on, too big to chew normally). Once I broke it in half, she ate it, and she’s been fine with them since. She doesn’t get super excited but she will GOBBLE GOBBLE them regardless.

Trader Joe’s lists the ingredients as: turkey, wheat flour, molasses, canola oil, cranberries, rosemary, thyme and soy.

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Recipe: Carroty Quenelle Cookies

carrotyquenelles

Ingredients

3 carrots, grated or chopped in a food processor
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine your dry ingredients, then bring together with the wet ingredients, either by hand or in a stand mixer.

Make your Quenelles by using 2 spoons (I chose small teaspoons so the cookies would fit in our medium size Kong). Scoop a ball of dough, then scrape with the second spoon to form the shape of an American football… or perhaps a rounder version of the spaceship in Flight of the Navigator??

Bake for 35 minutes. The cookies should be cooked through to the center but easy to break apart without crumbling.

Truffle loves her veggies, so I wasn’t surprised that she was into these cookies. The surprising thing was when we brought some out at her favorite dog park, and all the dogs started to flock to these treats. Some of the people said their dogs usually turned their adorable noses up at carrots, so it was nice to be able to sneak some in cookie form.