Fall is coming! And with it the arrival of colorful falling leaves, crisp cool air, and flavorful pumpkin breads, lattes and treats.
And, perhaps my dog doesn’t know it, but Fall is at the top of his list of favorite seasons. Why? Because oftentimes the way to my dog’s heart is through his tummy, and this is the time of year that I most often think to make homemade dog treats.
Since pumpkin is the most thought-of flavor of Fall, and also happens to be incredibly healthy for your dog, I feel there is no better time to get baking in the kitchen.
So, let’s get started!…
Every Fall I seem to see the same ole’ pumpkin dog treat recipes, so this year I wanted to switch it up with a bit of a twist. Still simple, just 2 extra ingredients…
- BANANA, for extra yumminess, and
- PARSLEY, which aides in getting rid of bad doggy breath
An odd array of ingredients you say? My dog would beg to differ! He gobbles these little morsels in 2 seconds flat. They’ve also been tested on all the family’s dogs and I haven’t heard a single complaint.
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin (be sure it is 100% pure pumpkin with no added ingredients)
- 1 mashed banana (tip: mash banana on a plate with a fork)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (check ingredient label to ensure there is NO xylitol)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup parsley
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl (works best if you add the peanut butter and flour last).
Baking:
Either roll the dough out to 1/4″ onto a floured surface, then cut shapes with a cookie cutter or, to make it REAL SIMPLE, just roll into balls (what could be easier?), place on lightly greased baking sheet, and using the back of a spoon press the balls down to a 2″ flat disc. I tend to start out rolling the dough and making cute bone shaped treats, but after awhile I get impatient and just roll the balls and smoosh them.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven; allow to cool when done.
The thing that I love most about this dough is that it’s super easy to work with and won’t stick to your hands, countertop or rolling pin. In addition, these stay somewhat soft after they are baked so you can easily break them apart when you want to give a smaller sized treat.
This is the entire batch…
Storage:
I store half of these in a seal tight container in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest for a later date.
Your dog will surely enjoy! And, if you get real brave, you can try a bite for yourself (I did!).
Don’t have time to bake up a batch? Never fear, your dog can still have some pumpkin treats! Click on a bag to select and purchase…
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