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It’s Christmas break for teachers. Therefore, I have a little extra time on my hands. With all of the hustle and bustle of preparing food for the humans, I decided the doggos needed some Christmas treats, too. Plus, I needed a reason to use the adorable Christmas cookie cutters I found with this dog treat recipe.
Now, just because it is Christmas time, does not mean it is the only time to use this dog treat recipe. This one is a “go to” around our house. Therefore, you can make these for your doggo anytime of the year.
Bella and Edward love peanut butter. For example, every time I open a jar in the mornings for my toast, they both have their noses in the air sniffing and giving me those begging eyes. So, I try to make them treats with this ingredient at least once a month. When given in moderation, peanut butter can be an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamins B and E and healthy fats. However, if you are going to use this ingredient in a dog treat recipe, then you will need to become a label reader. Most importantly, dog owners need to read peanut butter jar labels even if the peanut butter is just for the humans.
Why Read the Peanut Butter Jar Label?
Most peanut butter is safe, but some can be fatal. For instance, one ingredient added will poison your dog. That ingredient is the sweetener, xylitol. While safe for humans, it is toxic to dogs. To clarify, this sweetener is a sugar substitute often found in sugar-free products like chewing gum, toothpaste, breath mints, chewible vitamins and baked goods. Many peanut butter manufacturers use xylitol in their product to decrease sugar intake.
When a dog consumes xylitol, there is a rapid release of insulin. Therefore, this results in a huge decrease in blood sugar levels at a very rapid pace. Scientifically, this condition is called hypoglycemia. It can occur as quickly as 10 to 60 minutes after xylitol is eaten. Above all, it can be life threatening for your dog when left untreated. If you suspect your dog has consumed xylitol, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Symptoms of xylitol poisoning to watch for:
- weakness
- collapsing
- staggering
- lack of coordination
- seizures
So, even if you aren’t feeding your dog the family peanut butter, a family member might leave it out accidentally in reach of your dog. Avoid the slightest chance of xylitol poisoning by checking the peanut butter jar label first before purchasing. After that, go ahead and feed your dog peanut butter, but just make sure you do it in moderation and double check that it does not contain xylitol.
Should Dogs Eat Honey?
Another ingredient in this recipe is honey. Honey has some great benefits for your dog, but should also be given in moderation. Remember, the honey and peanut butter are both minimal in these small dog treats created.
According to Whole Dog Journal, there are five reasons to feed your dog raw honey.
- Local raw honey relieves dog’s skin allergies.
- Dogs with kennel cough benefit from raw honey.
- Raw honey helps minor topical wounds.
- Gastrointestinal is reduced in dogs because of raw honey.
- Honey can give dogs more energy.
Dogs really enjoy the taste of raw honey. A taste of honey as an occasional treat is fine, according to The Honey Bee Conservancy. However, according to their website, feeding your pet more than one teaspoon of honey each day can impact their health negatively. This is because dogs and cats are carnivores and have teeth and a digestive system evolved for eating meat, not sweets. Too much honey can also result in tooth decay and in extra calories that lead to obesity.
Peanut Butter Biscuits Dog Treat Recipe
You will need these seven ingredients:
- almond flour
- brown rice flour
- rolled oats
- bananas
- peanut butter
- eggs
- honey
Let’s put the recipe together.
Preheat your over to 300 degrees.
Mash the bananas in a bowl with the peanut butter and honey.
In another bowl, mix the two flours and rolled oats.
Beat the eggs and mix in with the dry ingredients.
Blend the two bowls of ingredients together.
Use your hands to finish blending and form into a ball of dough. (I form smaller dough balls for lack of counter space.)
Roll the dough ball flat with a rolling pin on a rice or almond floured surface. (Also, put the same flour on the rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking.)
Cut into desired shapes using small cookie cutters.
Place the shapes onto wax-lined cookie sheets.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (If you want a crunchier treat, then bake another 10 minutes.)
Let the treats thoroughly cool before sharing with your fur baby.
Sharing with Bella and Edward is the funnest part of the creation process. Bella watches my every move while I’m baking by standing right under me. Edward naps in a bed in the kitchen and occasionally opens an eye to check on the progress.
Happy baking for your adorable fur baby!
If your fur baby loves peanut butter, then you might want to try these other recipes with peanut butter.
Healthy Homemade Dog Treats With Coconut Oil
Yum! Apple Cookies – Easy Treat Recipe For Dogs
Does your dog love peanut butter? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
If you would like to save this post with the recipe, you can use one of the images below to pin to Pinterest. You also have the option to print this recipe below.
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 1 ⅓ cups rolled oats
- 2 bananas mashed
- ⅔ cup peanut butter Check the ingredients to make sure it does not contain xylitol. Xylitol can be fatal to your dog. More information in our article.
- 2 tbsp honey Raw, local honey is the best choice.
- 2 eggs beaten
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine together the flour and oats. Set this bowl aside.
- Next, in another bowl, blend together the bananas, peanut butter and honey.
- Stir beaten eggs into the dry ingredients.
- Then add this mixture to the bananas, peanut butter and honey.
- Flour your hands with rice or almond flour to knead the dough into a ball.
- Place the ball on a rice or almond floured counter top. (I usually make about 4 smaller balls of dough and I place wax paper on the counter top and flour this.)
- Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough flat.
- Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. (It was Christmas Break, so I used Christmas cookie cutters.)
- Place the shapes on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (If you want a crunchier snack, then bake for 30 minutes.)
- Let the biscuits thoroughly cool before serving them to your fur baby.
- Store in an air-tight container or baggie.
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