2023 Holiday Treats – Part 2
This week’s recipe is dedicated to the fur babies in your life. For years I’ve been making these treats as gifts for friends’ puppies and from all accounts, they are a hit – I have video and photographic proof.
We also welcomed two puppies into our lives this year and they will also attest to how much they love these treats.
Granola for dogs?
Granola isn’t the first thing you think about when making treats for a dog. It all started years ago when I gifted friends my Olive Oil Granola. Each year I made a separate batch of granola for husband and wife but was sad that their little pup was left out. So I took to the Internet and found a recipe for Granola Peanut-Butter Crunchies on thebark.com (sadly this website stopped updating in August 2022).
The recipe has many of the ingredients that you would find in granola – oats, seeds, dried fruit. There is a healthy amount of peanut butter, which the dogs absolutely love, and hardly any added sugar, just a tablespoon of honey.
The best thing about making or gifting these treats is that you know exactly what they’re made of – no additives or preservatives.
Gifting ideas
Place the treats in a cute, air tight container. I can guarantee that no matter how air tight the container may be, a dog will know there’s something good inside, just for them.
Because there are no preservatives, advise the doggie parents that the treats may be stored in the freezer.
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Puppy “Granola”
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 40 1x
Description
This homemade granola is made just for dogs – filled with goodies like oats, seeds, and dried fruit. But it’s the peanut butter that makes them go crazy.
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons chopped dried fruit*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups unsalted peanut butter
3/4 cup almond milk or low-fat yogurt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Grind all the seeds slightly in a food processor or blender. In a medium-size bowl, combine the ground seeds with the oats, coconut, and fruit. Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil and honey long enough to soften. Put the peanut butter into the food processor along with the almond milk or yogurt and process. Add the egg and oil/honey mixture, process again.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with a wooden spoon. The mixture should hold together well enough to be easily shaped into balls; if it seems too wet, add some whole-wheat flour.
Shape into 1½-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. The granola nuggets can be spaced close together, they won’t spread. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. (Optional: halfway through, turn each granola nugget over so they brown evenly.)
Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight jar. These treats can also be frozen.
Notes
*Be sure to use dog-friendly fruit like apricots, pears, apples, or blueberries. Grated veggies like carrots or zucchini can be used instead of the fruit.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dog treats
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 86.35 calories
- Sugar: 1.71 g.
- Sodium: 11.85 mg.
- Fat: 6.11 g.
- Saturated Fat: 1.66 g.
- Carbohydrates: 5.85 g.
- Fiber: 1.06 g.
- Protein: 3.16 g.
- Cholesterol: 4.7 g.
Keywords: dog treats, oats, seeds, dried fruit
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