Healthy Dog Biscuits

Easy homemade treats for your furry loved ones, complete with a carob and peanut butter glaze!

You are probably thinking to yourself, “This girl would be the type that makes food for her dogs!” Haha, well, in this case, yes. However, in general -- no! Who has time for that!? This recipe actually happened out of boredom during one of Kentucky’s finest winter storms. I was trying to occupy the kids (my dogs Rory and Emmy) as they were getting cabin fever so I looked in the pantry and this is the result!

These healthy dog biscuits are super easy to make and completely safe for your fur babies. The good news is that you probably already have some of the ingredients such as flour, oats, baking soda, and peanut butter.

The key ingredients for these dog biscuits are natural peanut butter, coconut oil, and pumpkin. Most people know that peanut butter is a great protein source and coconut oil has healthy fats that give dogs that shiny coat, but pumpkin is great to soothe their digestive system as it contains a high amount of fiber.

Every time I have chocolate my dogs go crazy. Of course I’ve never given them chocolate before but I guess they smell the sweet flavors and want it. Because of that, I made a glaze using carob powder with the peanut butter. Carob powder is a great alternative to cocoa powder. For dogs, this is 100% safe! Carob powder is naturally sweetened as well.

As you can see, the dogs love these biscuits and I think a lot of that has to do with that drizzle!

Coconut oil is used in the drizzle so keeping your biscuits out at room temperature will melt the drizzle so it is best to store in the fridge or freezer. Personally, the dogs love frozen treats because it takes them longer to chew so I just store in the freezer. Once you make these treats, you will be set for a long time as this recipe makes around 70 biscuits. These are also great as gifts so spread the love!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup old fashioned oats

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

• 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin (canned)

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 2 eggs

• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)

• 1 tsp baking soda

Carob and peanut butter glaze

• 2 Tbsp carob powder

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• ¼ cup peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: oats, flour, and baking soda.

3. To a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together: pumpkin, peanut butter, eggs, and coconut oil.

4. Incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until it forms a ball. If the mixture is wet, add flour or oats gradually. Knead dough until the flour is incorporated.

5. Sprinkle whole wheat flour to a flat surface and roll out dough mixture using a rolling pin.

6. Use a cookie cutter to cut out small dog bone shapes or just bake into little circles like cookies.

7. Bake for 12-15 min on a parchment lined baking sheet.

8. As the biscuits cook, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.

9. After the biscuits have cooled for at least 5 minutes, drizzle glaze over the biscuits and place in the fridge for the glaze to harden.

10. Best stored in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

1. Makes 65-70 small dog biscuits

2. Since these are homemade dog biscuits, it would be best to store in the fridge or freezer. They may mold if left out at room temperature for over a week.

3. All ingredients used for this recipe are considered safe for dogs, but it’s always a good idea to make sure there are no dog allergies/sensitivities to any of the ingredients.

Matcha and Carob Cookies

These matcha and carob cookies are sure to satisfy that sweet tooth while giving you a boost of energy without the crash!

What better way to get in that caffeine kick than in cookie form! Yup! You heard me right! These matcha and carob cookies are sure to satisfy that sweet tooth while giving you a boost of energy without the crash!If you are wanting a cookie that is naturally low in sugar then look no further. Carob powder is used in this recipe because of its natural sweetness. In fact, it is often used as a replacement for chocolate.

I know, I know -- why would you ever want to replace chocolate? Well, according to the National Headache Foundation, foods that contain tyramine may trigger migraine headaches… And what foods contain tyramine? Unfortunately, chocolate. That is why people who get migraines are recommended to avoid chocolate. Additionally, some people may avoid chocolate for other reasons, whether it’s because of allergies to dairy (certain chocolates contain milk) or because of personal dietary restrictions.

If you want to make these matcha cookies with chocolate, you can see my notes at the end of the post. Otherwise, I wanted to add this recipe to my blog to show those who avoid chocolate or dairy in their diet that it is definitely possible to satisfy your chocolate cravings using an alternative ingredient. The good news is that carob powder works really well as a substitute for chocolate… And it works really well together with matcha.

Have you ever had matcha tea? Matcha tea is actually just finely grounded green tea leaves. It is essentially a concentrated form of green tea, which means it retains most of its antioxidants. Matcha also contains a unique form of caffeine known as theophylline which sustains the energy levels without any adverse effects. So, not only does the subtle, earthy taste profile of matcha complement perfectly with the natural sweetness of carob, but the combination of the two in this recipe results in a cookie without the sugar or caffeine crash.

Fun fact: Carob powder is dog-friendly! Carob does not contain high levels of theobromine, a compound that is toxic to dogs.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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These matcha and carob cookies are sure to satisfy that sweet tooth while giving you a boost of energy without the crash!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fine almond flour

• 1/2 cup GF all purpose baking flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 Tbsp carob powder

• 1 Tbsp matcha powder

• pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup organic light brown sugar (packed)

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

• 1 egg (room temperature)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift flours, salt, soda, matcha and carob powder in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and melted coconut oil until creamy and smooth. Then whisk in vanilla and egg.

3. Slowly add dry mix to wet mix until fully incorporated.

4. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon 1 Tbsp mixture and form into balls and press onto baking sheet.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes cool on rack and dust with matcha and/or carob powder for visual presentation if desired.

NOTES

1. Best when right out of the oven with a glass of cold milk of choice and straight out the fridge!

2. For the chocolate version, just substitute 1 Tbsp of carob powder for cocoa powder, ¼ cup organic light brown sugar for ½ cup organic light brown sugar and ¼ cup organic dark chocolate chips.