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Valentine’s Day Grain-Free Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

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ANOTHER snow day here in Southern NJ… perfect day for baking dog treats!

Cello waits and watches patiently as these yummy-smelling Valentines Day treats bake in Cello’s Cucina! 

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Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups organic buckwheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups organic almond flour
  • 1/3 cup organic, natural peanut butter (no salt or sugar added)
    • Be sure that the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain xylitol)
  • 1 TB organic honey
  • 1 1/4 cups hot water
  • Additional flour for rolling (or parchment paper)

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Mix dry ingredients together.
  3. Mix in the peanut butter, honey, and hot water.
  4. Knead the dough well.
  5. Roll out the dough into 1/4″ thickness and cut into shapes with dog cookie cutters.
  6. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them cool overnight. (I just took mine out at 40 minutes and cooled them on a wire rack – see notes below).

If your dog likes less-crunchy treats, you cool them completely on a wire rack, then serve them to your four-legged child!

These treats come out pretty crunchy even if you don’t keep them in the oven over night…so if your pup prefers softer treats, you can try reducing the cook-time, and cooling the treats on a wire rack.

Yield: Will depend on the size cookie cutter you use.

Storing: These tasty treats can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or n the freezer for up to 6 months.

Tips:  The dough for these treats can be pretty sticky to work with at first, especially while kneading.  You can dust your work place and rolling-pin with some extra buckwheat flour, or (my favorite) you can line your work place with parchment paper, then place another piece of parchment paper over the dough while rolling it out.  Also, keep a dish of extra buckwheat flour next to you and “dip” the cookie cutter in the flour each time before making the cut-outs.

Grain Free, Sugar Free Canine Candy Canes!

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Cello’s Canine Candy Canes

DSC09205INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups organic garbanzo bean flour (plus more – see note)
  • 1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup organic beef stock/broth, chicken stock, or vegetable stock (see note)
  • 2 large organic, free range eggs
  • 2 tsp red, all natural food coloring (see tips)
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 large organic, free range egg, whites only (for an egg wash)

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INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Whisk together the flour, powdered milk and baking powder.
  2. Pour beef stock in small bowl, and whisk the eggs into stock.
  3. Form a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients.
  4. Stir until thoroughly combined.
  5. Knead the dough for about two minutes.
  6. Add more flour until the dough is no longer sticky (dough will be VERY sticky and hard to work with.  Keep adding flour until dough is reasonable to work with.
  7. Divide the dough in half.
  8. Form a well in one of the halves of dough.
  9. Add the food coloring and peppermint flavoring to the one half of dough.
  10. Wearing food safe gloves, knead the coloring and flavoring throughout the dough.
  11. Cool the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  12. Preheat the oven to 350° F
  13. Scoop a tablespoon of each half of dough  into tablespoon-sized balls.
  14. Gently roll each ball into a “worm” shape, letting the dough rest when needed. Each strip should be about 5 inches long.
  15. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
  16. Twist one plain strip with a red strip, and curl the end to shape a candy cane.
  17. Place on the baking sheet.
  18. Whisk the extra egg (whites only) in a small bowl.
  19. Using a pastry brush, thoroughly coat each candy cane with the egg wash.
  20. Bake for 10-15 minutes. (let cool in oven for crunchier treat)
  21. Cool completely on a wire rack.

NOTES:

Garbanzo bean flour:  Although a great alternative to grain-based flour, this flour is SUPER sticky and can be difficult to work with. Keep adding flour until dough is at a consistency you are comfortable working with.  Allowing the dough to cool in freezer will help with handling this sticky dough.

Broth/Stock:  No matter which stock you choose (Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable), be sure to check that it does NOT contain any form of onion, or onion powder

Food Coloring: rather than use artificial coloring, I chose an all-natural vegetable base coloring made from beet juice (India Tree brand vegetable colorants).  Beet powder is also another great alternative to artificial coloring.

Yield:  will depend on how long/thick you make each “worm” when you are twisting the candy canes.  My batch made 15 candy canes.

Storing: Remember, these treats do not have any preservatives, so they will need to be refrigerated, or frozen for use at a later time. These canine candy canes will keep fresh for approximately two weeks in the refrigerator, or for about 6 months in the freezer.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pooch Pleasers (Grain Free !!)

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Cello has had recurring ear infections lately.  It was suggested to us to try her on a grain-free diet for 30 days to see if her ear problem ceases.  Her dog food is of very high quality, and is already grain free.  However, all of the treats I was making her had whole-wheat flour as an ingredient  …so – this is the first grain-free treat to be made in Cello’s Cucina!

We are going to go camping for Thanksgiving, so I decided to make these treats to bring on the trip for Cello… I chose Fall cookie cutters…a turkey, 2 different shaped leaves, an acorn, and a Squirrel (Cello’s favorite!)

 Fall cookie cutters

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Cello is licking her lips waiting for her treats to be done! DSC08622

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2  1/2 to 3 c. of organic garbanzo bean flour (SEE NOTE)
  • 2  1/2 Tbsp of creamy organic peanut butter (unsweetened and no salt)
    • Be sure that the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain xylitol)
  • 2 Tbsp pure natural organic honey
  • 3/4 c. organic canned pumpkin (PURE pumpkin – NOT pumpkin pie filling)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  preheat oven to 300 degrees F

2.  In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until completely combined

3.  The dough will be very sticky – so generously flour everything – including your hands.  Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness.

Use cookie cutters of your choice to cut out the cookies.

4.  Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie tray, and bake the cookies for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  The cookies will

come out a pretty pumpkiny-brown!  Let cool on a wire rack for soft treats, or turn oven off and let treats sit in oven for 1-2 hours or more if you want crunchier treats.  I baked mine at night, so I just shut the oven off and left treats to cool overnight. In the morning I put some in the refrigerator, and some in the freezer to take on our camping trip.

Cookies can be stored in an air tight container in refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks – or in the freezer if you would like them to last a bit longer, or if you wanted to save them for a later date.

NOTE: have lots of extra garbanzo bean flour  – the dough is REALLY sticky…so you will need to add flour to the dough, the cookie cutters, the roller, and the work surface (I used a glass cutting board – which worked the best with this sticky dough)

PUPkin Biscotti

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Made with healthy real pumpkin, these biscotti are yummy!

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 c. organic pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1/4 c. organic honey
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1/8 c. organic canola oil
  • 1 organic egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 c. organic whole wheat flour (substitute buckwheat flour for grain-free option)
  • 2 tsp organic ground cinnamon

**egg whites (SEE NOTE BELOW)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.  In  a large bowl, stir the pumpkin, honey, water, oil, egg, and vanilla

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cinnamon

4.  Using a mixer, slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, a little at a time

5.  Knead the dough with your hand in the bowl until the dough forms a ball, and divide in to two equal parts

6.  On a cookie tray sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, form each ball of dough in to a slightly rounded rectangle, about one

      inch thick

7.  Place loaves about 2 inches apart, and back for 35 minutes

10.  Leave loaves on cookie tray, and place tray on a wire rack to let cool for 30 minutes. At the same time, LOWER the oven

        temperature to 300 degrees F

11.  Place the loaves on a cutting board, and slice into 1/2 inch slices

12.  Place the slices, cut side down, back onto the cookie sheet

13.  bake for 20 minutes.  Turn slices over, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until hard and crunchy

14.  Let the biscotti cool on a wire rack until cooled completely.

Yield: Depending on how thick you cut the slices, you should yield about a dozen biscotti from each loaf.

Note: (OPTIONAL): using a pastry brush, apply an egg white-wash to  loaves before baking the first time.  This step will not change the taste of the biscotti, but it will take away any trace of flour, and give the biscotti a slight “shine.”

PUPkin Donuts

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Made with real pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)…pumpkin is known to have several health benefits  for dogs!

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Doughnut Ingredients:

  • 1 cup organic whole wheat flour (sub Buckwheat flour for grain-free)
  • 1/2 cup organic ground flax
  • 1 Tbsp organic cinnamon
  • 2 organic eggs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
  • 3/4 cup organic pure pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup organic almond milk, unsweetened and plain
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth (I make my own. If you purchase – please check that there are no traces of onion or onion powder in the broth).

Glaze Ingredients: (Optional)

  • 2 Tbsp almond milk
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 5 Tbsp plus 1 tsp tapioca flour

Doughnut Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax and cinnamon. Set to the side.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the two eggs.
  4. Then stir in the applesauce, pumpkin, almond milk and chicken broth until combined.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir to incorporate after each addition.
  6. Spoon the dough into a disposable pastry bag fitted with a large whole tip.
  7. Lightly spray each cup of the donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  8. Fill each cup to the top with the dough.
  9. Bake for 12 minutes.
  10. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 3 minutes before turning the doughnuts out onto the wire rack.
  11. Repeat steps 7-10 until there is no more dough.

Glaze Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and the honey.
  2. Add one tablespoon of tapioca flour at a time and stir together until dissolved.
  3. Once all the tapioca flour is added, drizzle the glaze on the cooled doughnuts.
  4. Let the glaze dry before serving.
  5. You can make the doughnuts ahead of time and then make the glaze and decorate 15 minutes before serving.

Storing – Baked doughnuts, like these pumpkin dog treat donuts, will be good in the refrigerator for about one month. Keep them fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Yield – Using a mini donut pan, you’ll have 3 dozen little pumpkin doughnuts.

Tips & Techniques

  • Mini Donut Pan – You may not have one of these in your supply yet, but they’re just too cute to resist. Get a Mini Donut Pan to create these little delicacies. Or, if you can’t wait, use a mini muffin pan instead. Increase the baking time by a couple minutes, or until the muffins pull away from the pan.
  • Adjustable Measuring Cup – Measuring pumpkin can be a pain. I love myadjustable measuring cup and use it whenever an ingredient is tricky to measure. In this recipe it works great for the pumpkin and the applesauce.
  • Round Like a Doughnut – Your pumpkin dog treat donuts won’t come out round like a human donut. We’ve omitted the sugar, salt and baking powder to keep this homemade dog treat as healthy as can be. The top will be rounded, and once it is glazed it looks more like the “real” thing.
  • Pumpkin in a Can – Make sure to use only pure puree pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, in your homemade dog treats. If you purchase a large can of pumpkin, you can always freeze the left over in 1/2 cup measurements, or smaller, to use at a future time. Be sure to label and date a freezer bag before storing your pumpkin.
  • Using a Pastry Bag – The doughnut pan has small openings for each mini donut. That’s why we recommend using a pastry bag. A disposable one saves on clean up time and makes the whole effort easier. While each batch bakes, stand your pastry bag upright in a tall drinking glass in between uses. If you want to skip the pastry bag, slowly spoon the dough into each cup. Wipe away any excess dough from around the raised indention to get a more uniform donut shape.

Warm cinnamon and pumpkin dog treat donuts make a sweet smell. Reward your sweetie with a batch of glazed or plain doughnuts that will satisfy a sweet tooth, and be healthy, too.

Parmesan Pooch Pleasers

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Brian came into the kitchen while I was baking these and said, “Dinner smells great!”… these Parmesan and garlic powder treats will fill your home with a delicious Italian-food aroma!

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups organic Buckwheat flour
  • 1/3 cup organic vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup powdered milk
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1/4 Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

  1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add just enough water to form a stiff dough consistency.
  3. Use a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll out the dough to 1/4 to  1/2 inch thickness, and cut with your favorite cookie cuter.
  4. Place cookies on un-greased cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.For doughy treats, remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.  For crunchier treats, turn oven off and let treats completely cool in oven.

Sweet Potato-Mint-Apple Biscuits

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Sweet potato, fresh mint, and Granny Smith apples make this cookie hard to resist!mint

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cups organic mashed plain sweet potatoes
  • 3 TB chicken or beef broth (I make my own – but if you purchase, please make sure onion, onion juice, or onion powder is not an ingredient if buying a commercial brand). You can also just use water
  • 2 1/2 cups organic Buckwheat flour (you can use garbanzo been flour as well – or if your pooch doesn’t mind grains, you can also use whole wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped organic mint
  • 1 organic Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together sweet potatoes and broth.
  3. Add the flour, mint, and apples, and stir until combined.
  4. Knead the dough a few times until it holds together.
  5. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 thickness.
  6. Use cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
  7. Transfer cookie shapes to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  8. Bake until dried, and just slightly golden, about 35-40 minutes.
  9. Turn off the oven and let the treats cool in the oven for another 1-2 hours

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.  Treats can also be frozen for a longer period.

Banana Oat Mutt Muffins

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Made with ripe bananas and honey, these Mutt Muffins  a pup-pleaser!banana oat

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups organic oat flour
  • 1 cup organic unbleached white flour
  • 1 cup organic quick cooking oats, uncooked
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup pure organic honey
  • 3 TB organic vegetable oil
  • 2 ripe organic bananas, mashed
  • 1 organic egg

DIRECTIONS:

  1. preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, white flour, oats, and baking soda.
  3. In a medium bowl combine the water, honey, oil, bananas, and egg.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  5. Spoon the batter into a non-stick mini-muffin pan, filling each about 3/4 full.
  6. Bake about 15-20, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Grain Free Ginger Bread Man Cookies

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Gingerbread Man Cookies

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups organic buckwheat flour
  • 2 tbsp organic ground ginger
  • 1 tsp organic ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp organic ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup organic blackstrap molasses
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup organic canola oil

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325° F
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon and cloves until combined well.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together the molasses, water and canola oil.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the flour.
  5. Stir ingredients until thoroughly combined.
  6. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.
  7. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut cookies.
  8. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  9. Place your gingerbread man cookies on the baking sheet.
  10. Continue to roll and cut out shapes with the remaining dough.
  11. Bake for 20 minutes.
  12. Cool completely on a wire rack, or allow to cool in the oven (after you turn it off) for a crunchier treat.

 

Yield – Will depend on size of your gingerbread man cookie cutter.  My batch made 30 gingerbread man cookies.

Storing – These treats should keep fresh for several weeks in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for approximately 6 months.

 

Mutt Meatballs

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This great dog treat recipe originally came from Dog Treat Kitchen. However, I altered the recipe a bit to fit Cello’s dietary needs.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups dry dog food, ground coarse using a food processor
  • 1/2 cup organic buckwheat flour
  • 1 lb. organic ground bison meat
  • 1/4 cup organic honey
  • 1/8 cup organic applesauce, unsweetened

 

Instructions:

  1. Cook the bison, breaking apart into very small pieces. (I boiled the bison, saving the broth for other future recipes).
  2. Pour the dog food into a food processor or blender and grind to a coarse flour.
  3. Whisk together the coarse dog food and buckwheat flour in a medium bowl.
  4. Stir together the meat, honey and applesauce in a separate small bowl.
  5. Stir the meat mixture into the dry mixture until combined.
  6. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Form into meatballs – vary the size, or keep them all uniform.
  8. Serve fresh, or place in your freezer until frozen, approximately 2 hours.

 

Storing – This treat needs to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.

The Start of Cello’s Cucina

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I started making home-made treats for Cello after hearing too many stories about tragic deaths due to treats and dog food that were not manufactured to standards suitable for our fur-child.  I always use human-grade ingredients, and as many organic ingredients as possible, making the treats both yummy and safe for our four-legged family.   It has been so fun baking for Cello…and Cello enjoys being the taste-tester of all Cello’s Cucina treats!

Cello knows when I am cooking her treats and is very appreciative …and patient!

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