Ingredients
1 c. (90 g.) oat flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large egg
1/4 c. pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. chunky or smooth natural peanut butter
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. smooth natural peanut butter
1 tbsp. (or more) hot water
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add egg, pumpkin puree, and peanut butter and mix until a sticky dough forms. If mixture is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water at a time until it’s workable.Step 2On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8" thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a knife, then transfer to prepared sheet.Step 3Bake treats until lightly golden, 25 to 35 minutes (a shorter amount of time will yield softer, chewier treats versus crunchier treats with a longer bake time). Let cool on pan (make sure they’re somewhere your dog can’t reach).
Step 1In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch, honey, pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and 1 tablespoon hot water to combine, adding more hot water as needed to reach a pipeable consistency.Step 2Drizzle glaze over treats with a fork, piping bag, or zip-top plastic bag with a small corner cut off. Alternatively, you can dip treats into glaze. Let sit until hardened.Step 3Make Ahead: Treats can be made 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, refrigerate up to 3 weeks, or freeze up to 2 months.
Even if you’re on board for making your own desserts and dinners, you still might be wondering why you’d ever make dog treats instead of just buying them the next time you’re picking up dog food. While the convenience of store-bought is very real, those options can get expensive, not to mention being full of mystery ingredients that aren’t always the best for your dog. These dog treats, on the other hand, only have 5 inexpensive ingredients (7 if you include the optional glaze), all of which we bet you already have in your pantry. Though the ingredient list is short, there are some important things to note: We chose oat flour as an alternative to wheat flour found in a lot of commercial treats, and because it’s crazy cheap to make your own. Simply grind up oats in a food processor or blender, getting them as fine as you can (chunks are okay, your dog won’t care!). When picking out your pumpkin, make sure to grab a puree without any additives and not pumpkin pie filling. You could also make your own pumpkin puree for an even more cost-effective option. Ditto for your peanut butter—you’re going to want a natural one with nothing extra, particularly Xylitol (which is extremely toxic to dogs). Crunchy PB works for the treats, but you’re going to want smooth for the glaze if you choose to make it. If you’re at all concerned, please run these ingredients by your veterinarian, particularly if your dog has a sensitive stomach or a history of allergies. Your dog will love these even if you keep them basic, but for fun, we added an optional glaze and cut them in the shape of dog bones. Feel free to simply roll these out and cut them into squares, or get even more creative based on what cookie cutters you’ve got around. Have fun with it! Made these? Let us know how you (and your dog!) liked them in the comments below.
