6 Holiday Treats For Your Puppy

November 27, 2019

The holiday season is quickly approaching! And while most families celebrate with a delicious Christmas feast, there’s always one four-legged member that’s always left out. Of course, there’s good reason your puppy may not be welcome at the dinner table. Most human foods aren’t exactly healthy for your cuddly friend to eat and may cause accidental poisonings.

Instead of Christmas dinner, fill your puppy’s stockings with these yummy DIY holiday-themed treats. We’re sure they’ll love it just as much as any human food!

1. Christmas-themed Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour (whole wheat or unbleached)
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup of water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Add a little water if the dough is too dry.
3. Roll the dough on parchment paper and cut out holiday-themed shapes with a cookie cutter.
4. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
5. Once finished, wait for cookies to cool down before serving. Any leftovers should be stored in a plastic container.

2. Dog Candy Canes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour (all-purpose)
• ½ cup of nonfat powdered milk
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 eggs (one will be used for egg wash)
• 2 teaspoon of red food coloring
• ½ teaspoon of peppermint oil flavoring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the flour, powdered milk, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. Use another small bowl to pour warm water over the chicken bouillon, and stir until dissolved.
4. Whisk 2 eggs into the chicken water. Once you do, create a small indent in the dry ingredients and pour in the chicken water. Stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Knead the dough for 2 minutes. Make sure to add flour until dough is no longer sticky.
6. When finished, separate the dough in half, and form an indent in one of the balls of dough.
7. Add food coloring and peppermint flavoring to your dough. Put on safe food gloves and knead the coloring and flavoring into the dough.
8. Place dough in refrigerator for 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
9. When the time is finished, divide each ball of dough into small balls. Roll each ball into a worm-like strip about 5 inches long.
10. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Then, curl one plain strip with a red strip, and twist the ends to shape it into a candy cane.
11. Place each candy cane on the baking sheet. Then, whisk the last egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to coat every candy cane with the egg wash. 
12. Put candy canes in the oven and Bake for 10 minutes.
13. Once completed, cool candy canes on a wire rack and serve to your puppy!

3. Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut sweet potatoes into long strips about 1/4” thick.
3. Cut strips across, making sure they’re perpendicular to the first slice.
4. Toss these slices in a large bowl and mix with olive oil.
5. Place a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Sprinkle it with a little cinnamon.
6. Put sweet potato slices in the oven and bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
7. Cool down slices and serve to your cuddly friend!

4. Nutty Bacon Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup of creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons of water
• ½  cup of soy flour
• ½ cup of whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup of wheat germ

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut strips of bacon into diced pieces.
3. Fry the diced bacon until crispy. Remove the crispy bacon with a spoon but leave the fat in the pan. Let the fat cool for 2 to 5 minutes. 
4. Combine the egg, peanut butter, maple syrup and water to the bacon fat and mix them together. 
5. Add the flour and wheat germ into the mixture and combine. After this, you can add in the bacon pieces.
6. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about ¼” thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut dough into holiday-themed shapes. 
7. Place shapes into the oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Once finished, cool down treats and watch your puppy’s mouth water!

5. Gingerbread Christmas Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of molasses
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• 6 cups of flour (all-purpose)
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Use a medium-sized bowl to mix the molasses, honey, water, and oil together.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Slowly add dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and mix them thoroughly.
4. Then, divide and roll the dough into 4 balls. Place each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for around 3 to 5 hours. Make sure they don’t become too solid.
5. Once finished, lightly sprinkle flour on a surface and roll the dough until ¼” thick.
6. Cut the dough out into holiday-themed shapes with a cookie cutter.
7. Place your holiday shapes into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The longer you bake them, the crunchier your treats will be.
8. Cool down your treats and give them to your puppy!

6. Peppermint Holiday Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour (whole wheat)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of molasses
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a large bowl, mix flour, molasses, peanut butter, water, olive oil, and peppermint extract thoroughly until smooth.
3. Take dough and roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until ¼ inch thick. Cut dough into festive holiday-themed shapes with a cookie cutter.
4. Place holiday treats into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 
5. Once baked, let treats cool down and feed them to your four-legged friend!

We hope your furry soulmate enjoys these delicious treats for the holiday season! Be sure to have your four-legged friend perform tricks and basic commands before feeding them. And if you would like more yummy DIY treats, check out 5 Best Homemade Dog Biscuits For Your Puppy for more options!