Easy Treats To Bake At Home For Your Pets

Written by Héloïse Ferrie for Overglam

Eating healthy shouldn’t be a priority just for us humans. When it comes to our four legged best friends, we should also pay attention to what’s being mixed in their food. And the best way to start is to make our own meals, snacks, and treats!

Here are easy recipes for our pets, with simple ingredients, because no one actually has the time or the budget to get that organic fruit that grows on that one tree on an exotic island.

For your Dog

Peanut Butter Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 250g wholemeal flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 275g unsalted natural peanut butter (careful with peanut butter, it mustn’t contain xylitol)
• 225ml skimmed milk

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Grease the baking trays.
2. Stir together the flour and baking powder, then set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter and milk. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended.
4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you obtain a smooth texture.
5. Roll out to 1cm thickness, and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Place each biscuit 2cm apart onto the prepared baking trays.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
7. Remove from baking trays to cool on wire racks.

Diabetic Friendly Treats

Ingredients:

• 680g beef liver
• 60g wholemeal flour
• 2 eggs

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a 25x40cm baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the liver into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. If you have room, add the flour and eggs, and process until smooth. Otherwise, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the flour and eggs using a wooden spoon. Spread evenly in the prepared tray.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the centre is firm.
4. Let it cool, then cut into squares using a pizza cutter. The treats will have a consistency similar to a sponge.
5. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

For your Cat:

Grain-Free Tuna Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 tin tuna in oil, thoroughly drained (approx 120g / 4oz)

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 170C, and line a baking paper on your tray.
 
2. Crack open the egg and separate the white from the yolk. Discard the yolk and place the white in a large mixing bowl.
3. Using a hand or electric whisk, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Set to one side.
4. Empty the can of tuna into the bowl of your blender. Add two tablespoons of the whisked egg white to the tuna, then blend thoroughly until the mixture is a smooth paste and there are no flakes or lumps.
5. Using a spatula, remove the tuna paste mixture from your blender, and fold it gently into your remaining whisked egg white. Take care not to knock too much air out of the mixture while you are combining the two.
6. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a small star nozzle attachment. Pipe the mixture into small rounds on baking sheet. Take care not to make the swirls too large (as this would make it tricky for your cat to eat the treats). 
7. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the treats feel dry to the touch and dislodge easily from the baking paper. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and then into airtight jars for storage. If kept cool and dry, they should store well for up to 4 weeks. 

Cheesy Treats:

Ingredients:

• 90g shredded cheddar
• 40g grated Parmesan
• 60g plain yogurt
• 100g wholemeal flour
• 30g corn flour
• 60ml of water

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Combine the cheeses and the yogurt, then add the flour and corn flour.
3. Add enough water to create a workable dough.
4. Form the dough into a ball, then roll out to a square or rectangle half a centimetre thick.
5. Cut into 2cm sized pieces and place on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake approximately 25 minutes.

Don’t these look tasty? Please don’t keep any for yourself…

Images and recipes sources: