If you have a puppy you know just how important training treats are, and just how quickly you go through them!
Store bought treats are often expensive and full of preservatives and ingredients that aren’t the best for your treasured pup.
With just a few simple ingredients you can make your own treats that are tastier, healthier, and cheaper than most types you can buy in a store.
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup pumpkin (100% pure pumpkin, like Libby’s Organic, not pumpkin
filing ) - 1 egg
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp bouillon (Beef or chicken is my favorite, but vegetable will work too)
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour (Extra for rolling)
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking trays with parchment or baking mats. I prefer a silicone baking mat because it makes cleanup so fast and easy and it’s reusable.
- Mix peanut butter, pumpkin, egg, Greek yogurt, and bouillon into a bowl until fairly smooth and all large lumps have been removed.
3. Add flour to wet mixture and mix until the dough comes together. If your dough is still quite shaggy and wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball and barely sticks to your hands.
4. Flour your work surface and knead the ball of dough until a ball is formed. The dough should be smooth and not stick to your hands.
5. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is about ¼ inch thick. If you would like thicker or thinner treats you can roll your dough accordingly, just be sure to keep a close eye on them while baking, as it may take more or less time to cook.
6. Trim the rectangle of dough so all the sides are even. You can now become creative with your shapes or just stay with square treats. Squares are the fastest to cut and easy to work with when training as they are small and can even be easily broken in half to make two treats.
7. For small square treats, cut vertical strips about a ½ inch wide across the length of the dough. Repeat this horizontally at ½ inch increments to get a nice sheet of even squares.
8. Transfer the dough squares to a baking sheet with a flat spatula. Break apart the squares to help ensure an even bake and make cooling and storing easy. Continue rolling out squares or making fun shapes, I did snowflakes, until all the dough is used. You can also store leftover dough in the fridge to bake later. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
9. Bake the treats for 7-8 minutes. If you opted for different sizes your cook time could range anywhere from 6-12 minutes.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack and transfer to an airtight container. To extend the shelf life you can refrigerate your treats, but they will remain fresh at room temperature for one to two weeks.
11. Happy Training!
