Organic Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I don't know how it is in your house, but in our house, our animals are just as much a part of the family as our own son is. Our dog Sirius is my son's best friend and brother. They spend all day long romping through our house together, always getting into things as two brothers would. It's only fair that I give gifts to him just like the rest of the family! Today, I made homemade organic doggy treats that are MUCH healthier than the ones you might buy in the grocery store or Petsmart, and they were MUCH cheaper to make too! After giving both my dog and my parent's dog a couple treats to taste-test, they proceeded to follow me around wagging their tails for about another 20 minutes before they realized they weren't going to get any more. This recipe is most DEFINITELY dog approved!

Pumpkin and cinnamon are healthy

After a lot of reading, I kept coming across how healthy pumpkin is for dogs, this lead me to decided on a pumpkin peanut butter treat. We all know that peanut butter is a dogs favorite thing, so that choice was an easy one, but I also wanted to add a little bit of cinnamon into the treat because not only does it give it the perfect smell/taste combination with pumpkin and peanut butter, it too is healthy for dogs to eat. Cinnamon helps to lower the blood sugar and keep it regulated so it's especially good for overweight dogs and those trying to watch their weight.

These foods should be avoided

One note of caution when making dog treats. RAISINS, GRAPES, ONIONS, AND GARLIC (in large amounts) IS TOXIC TO DOGS. DO NOT PUT ANY OF THESE INGREDIENTS IN YOUR DOG TREATS! Always make sure to do some research on the health benefits of what you are putting into your dog's treats, but feel free to get creative, as I always say. I have heard of people using mashed sweet potatoes in place of the pumpkin, among many other ideas that you could switch up in this recipe.

Homemade Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup crunchy (or creamy) peanut butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup filtered water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
2. Stir in peanut butter and pumpkin puree. Pouring a little at a time, knead in the water until the dough is not to dry and not to sticky. If you pour too much water just add a little bit more flour and vice versa.
3. On a floured surface, roll out your dough and press your cookie cutters making your cute little treat shapes.
4. Bake your pumpkin peanut butter dog treats on a nonstick cookie sheet for 25 minutes.
5. Let the treats cool completely before giving them to your dogs!
6. Because these don't have all those nasty preservatives in them, you want to store them in a cool, dry place; they'll keep for a couple of weeks. If you are making these for other friend's dogs, send them in a sealed container or a mason jar so that they are airtight.