No matter how picky your pooch is, they probably go crazy over peanut butter.
The sticky and sweet treat makes dogs go crazy! Best of all, it's completely safe. That is, as long as you use a natural product free of potentially harmful sugar substitutes, such as xylitol.
While dogs are more than happy eating peanut butter straight from the jar or your hand, there are other ways to let your pup experience the flavor this treat has.
Peanut butter treats are healthy, easy to make, and very versatile.
Peanut butter is used in a bevy of human desserts, so why not use it to make homemade treats that your furry friend will love?
When you're searching for peanut butter-based treats, you'll likely come across a ton of recipes that utilize flour. While flour is not inherently dangerous for dogs, not every pooch is going to agree with the ingredient.
Many dogs are sensitive to wheat, barley, and other grains. That allergy applies to byproducts like flour as well.
Flour is an important baking ingredient that acts as a binder. Luckily, there are some alternatives. Plenty of ingredients can be used as a substitute to traditional wheat-based flour.
Here's a collection of fun and easy peanut butter dog treat recipes that don't contain any flour.
4 DIY Peanut Butter Dog Treat Recipes
#1. Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Treats
These crunchy little treats are packed with flavor. Instead of standard white flour, which is heavily processed and void of any nutritional content, this recipe uses oats. The oats act as a binder to create a thick and pliable dough.
Use your imagination with these treats! Use fun cookie cutters to create bite-sized treats that your dog can munch on.
Ingredients
Instructions
To start making these cookies, preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or 150 degrees Celsius. Then, whip out your food processor. The entire mixture can be created with just one tool, so there will be fewer messes to clean up.
Start by grinding up the oats until they turn into a powder. Then, add in your pumpkin and peanut butter. Blend the ingredients until it creates a thick batter.
Roll this batter out on a lined work surface and cut your cookies to shape. Place them gently on a lined cookie sheet and pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes.
The finished product should be dry and crunchy.
#2. Peanut Butter and Banana Treats
Is there anything better than pairing bananas with peanut butter? This treat is a crunchy delight that's packed with some sweet flavors. It uses coconut flour instead of wheat flour.
*Coconut is very safe for dogs and adds a unique touch to treats.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit/150 degrees Celsius while you're preparing the batter. In a small bowl, beat the egg thoroughly. Then, in a larger bowl, mash the banana with a fork.
It should be completely broken up into a smooth mash so that it can be incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.
Once your banana is mashed, add the coconut flour, rolled oats, parsley, peanut butter, and beaten egg. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. You may have to get your hands a little dirty to mix it evenly. The dough should be thick and pliable.
Cover your work surface with parchment paper and line a baking sheet. Roll out the dough into small balls. About a tablespoon of dough should be used for each ball.
Transfer the balls to your lined baking sheet and press them down to create a small disk. You can do this with your hand or the back of the spoon. Each disk should be about an inch apart from one another.
- The cookies won't get any bigger, but you don't want them to stick!
Bake the cookies in the oven for about 45 minutes. Once they have cooled, they're ready for your furry friend! To store them, put the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them.
#3. Peanut Butter Gingerbread Dog Treats
When the holidays roll around, your dog can get in on the festivities with these flavorful dog treats. This recipe doesn't use a grain-based flour. Instead, it uses almond flour. It's a healthy substitute that typically doesn't result in allergic reactions or sensitivity issues.
Ingredients
Instructions
Before you start making the dough, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. This is equal to about 162 degrees Celsius. The recipe makes a very simple gingerbread cookie dough. However, it leaves out ingredients that are potentially harmful to dogs, such as nutmeg.
To start the batter, put the egg, peanut butter, molasses, water, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk these ingredients up thoroughly. Then, add in your fresh ginger and whisk some more.
In a different bowl, combine the dry ingredients. These include the almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine the ingredients until they create a thick dough.
Like the first recipe, you can use this dough to get as creative as you want. The gingerbread dough is very pliable, so it's perfect for creating unique shapes.
Why not make dog bones or festive holiday shapes?
To do this, simply roll out the dough on a protected surface. The dough should be about 1/4 of an inch thick. Then, punch out your shapes.
When you transfer the cookies to a lined baking sheet, make sure to puncture the center of them with a tooth pick. This allows the air to escape, keeping them flat. Baking should only take 10 to 12 minutes. They should be firm and golden brown.
The treats aren't super crunchy. If you want them to have a bit of crunch, just leave them in the oven and turn it off. The extra time in the oven as it cools down will make them nice and crunchy. The treats can be stored in an airtight container for safekeeping.
#4. Savory Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Dog's aren't as repulsed at the mixing of sweet and savory flavors as humans are. So, this treat is perfect! It combines all of the things that dogs love. It has peanut butter, cheese, and chicken broth.
You can use either almond flour, coconut flour, or potato flour for this recipe.
Ingredients
Instructions
As you're making the dough, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius. Instead of lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with vegetable oil to prevent the cookie from sticking.
In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. This includes your chosen flour, the whole oats, and baking powder. Then, add in the broth and peanut butter. Mix these ingredients together.
It won't become smooth. Instead, it will be very crumbly. Mash the dough up into a large ball before transferring it to a prepared work surface.
Roll out this crumbly dough until it turns into a sheet that's roughly half an inch thick. Use your favorite cookie shape to create your final cookies.
Move the shaped cookies to your baking sheet. Then, as a final icing on the cake, sprinkle the cookies with parmesan cheese.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. They should be firm and slightly crunchy. Let them cool on a wire rack to prevent them from falling apart. These delightful cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about a week before going bad, so let your dog gobble them up as soon as possible!
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