Homemade Thanksgiving Treat Recipes
If you’re a dog owner and like to spend time in the kitchen, chances are you have a furry sous chef who accompanies you each time you cook or bake! Thanksgiving is quite a tease for our pups with all the tasty scents filling up the house so why not incorporate a homemade doggie treat recipe into your Thanksgiving baking lineup this year? We’ve come up with a few recipes that are not only healthier than store bought treats but are also festive for the holiday and use ingredients that you’ll already have on hand for the big day!
Turkey and Cranberry Dog Bones
Nothing says happy holidays more than these little turkey and cranberry dog bones! We know how much our dogs enjoy meat; try this recipe so that they can enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving with you! Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup shredded cooked turkey
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or as needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Lightly grease baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour and baking powder together until thoroughly combined, and stir in the cooked turkey meat and dried cranberries. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and drop the egg into the center; pour in the olive oil and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Mix into a soft dough. If mixture is too dry, mix in more chicken broth, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is of desired consistency.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Roll the dough out ¼ inch thick and cut out with your favorite cookie cutters.
Bake until the treats turn brown, about 25 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the dog treats in the oven an additional 30 minutes to dry out. Refrigerate leftover dog treats.
Sweet Potato Turkey Treats
Not sure what to do with all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey? These simple 4-ingredient homemade dog treats are the perfect solution to put that turkey to great use! An additional benefit of these treats is how well they freeze, so set a batch aside to wrap up and use as DIY holiday gifts when the time comes. It’ll be here before we know it!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup PLAIN mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups finely chopped, cooked turkey or chicken
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, water, and egg, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Add chicken and flour and stir again until combined. Batter will be very thick and sticky.
To make rectangular biscuits (see notes below on how to make round "drop" biscuits), use a rubber spreader to spread the dough evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a rectangle (approximately 10" x 14") at about 1/2" thickness.
Use a knife or pizza cutter to score the dough into rectangles of whatever size you'd like. (As shown in photos, you can score 8 rows x 12 rows to equal 96 treats.)
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the dog treats are lightly golden brown.
Cool completely and then break along the score lines or use a knife/pizza cutter to cut along the score lines.
Store in the refrigerator or (for longer storage) in zippered freezer bags in the freezer (thaw before serving).
Apple Pie Bites
We all love our post-Thanksgiving feast slice of pie so why not share the experience with your pup too? These soft and tasty homemade pie treats are like a warm bite of apple cobbler only they omit the butter and sugar that your dog doesn’t need.
Ingredients:
- 2 apples, cored and diced
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 cups AP flour (oat flour works great too)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 Egg
- Optional: 1/4 cup grated parmesan or cheddar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Set your oven racks to a central position with room to use multiple trays if you like.
Wash, core, and dice or grate the apples.
To your diced apple, add the cinnamon, vanilla, honey, and coconut oil and stir thoroughly.
Add the flours and baking powder next, stirring to combine. This will resemble a crumble more than a cookie dough, don’t be alarmed!
Add the milk and egg and give it a final stir.
Drop small spoonfuls of cookie dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
You can either leave the dough in spherical form or press down lightly with a fork to create a flatter, crunchier cookie.
Bake 20 minutes, or until the tops attain some golden color and there are some crunchy bits on the edges, but the bottom isn’t too browned.
During holiday meals, guests are often tempted to slip your dog their leftovers. However, most of these holiday table foods aren’t good for pets, so it’s important to have healthier and safer alternatives available for guests to offer your pup instead. By whipping up any of these recipes ahead of time, you can be sure your furry friend (and any of your canine guests) will have something tasty to gobble up this holiday season, too!
