I make these doggie treats for Phoebe. I make so many that I ship them out to friends who say their dogs love them!

Left to Right - Buckwheat Pumpkin Treats, Banana Peanut Butter Treats, Phoebe Treats (My Own Concoction)
Left to Right – Buckwheat Pumpkin Treats, Banana Peanut Butter Treats, Phoebe Treats (My Own Concoction)

I got two recipes from some Web sites and then took a stab at creating my own. My first attempt at making my version was a glob of dense, inedible goo. I had much better success with my second attempt, and the pup seemed to like them.

Buckwheat & Pumpkin Doggie Treats

This was the first treat I tried, and they are now a staple in the doggie treat jar. I originally found the recipe on About.com The site is now defunct, so I found a similar one. Phoebe loved them!

The dough is quite sticky, so I sprinkle some flour on a piece of wax paper, then put another sheet of wax paper on top, and then roll them out. By the time I finish, I have probably added an extra ¼ cup of flour.

I dip a mini cookie cutter into the flour to prevent sticking and then cut out the treats (about 25 per batch).

They definitely stay crunchier if frozen and thawed in small batches.

Peanut Butter and Banana Doggie Treats

This recipe is from another site and is the second recipe I tried. I make smaller treats for Phoebe, so I end up with about 75-100 instead of 24. It skews the nutritional value in the recipe per serving, but that’s OK. Regarding treats, I am more concerned with calories than nutritional breakdown. At least I know they are no more than 45 calories each. I would guesstimate that my size is more like 15 calories or so – close enough. As with the recipe above, they stay crunchier, frozen, and thawed in small batches.

Phoebe Treats (My Own Concoction)

I decided to get brave. I found a few recipes that seemed OK, except they were made with all-purpose flour. I wanted to get around that, so I substituted it with some quinoa and rice flour. That meant I had to adjust the amount for the same dry dog-treat consistency.

If the dough is too gooey, thicken it up with oats.

  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1 cup quinoa flour
  • 1 cup oats
  • ½ cup flax meal
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup pumpkin
  • ¼ cup chicken broth (sodium-free and no onion powder)

First, I grind the oats in the food processor until they look like flour, then add the rest of the ingredients. I use my cookie press to make little “kisses,” or I just put on a good TV show and roll a bunch of ¼ – ½ —inch balls and flatten them out.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes and then flip. Bake for another 20 minutes.