Christmas is a time for enjoying yourself, relaxing and treating yourself to nice food and good company, and there is no reason your dog should be left out. Whilst they can enjoy the turkey, some of the treats we enjoy, such as mincemeat, macadamia nuts and chocolate, are poisonous so it’s best to treat them to special doggy treats to make sure they can enjoy Christmas too!
Here are a couple of recipes to tickle their taste buds. You could even make a batch of them to pop in their stocking!
Turkey and Cranberry Bones
Ingredients
420g wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
140g cooked turkey, chopped
120g dried cranberries
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
235ml reduced salt chicken stock, or as needed
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Lightly grease two baking trays, or line them with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together until thoroughly combined, then stir in the turkey and cranberries.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and then drop the egg into the centre. Next, add the olive oil and about half of the chicken stock.
- Mix into a soft dough. If the mixture is too dry, mix in more chicken stock, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is easy to work with.
- Knead dough on a floured surface for a minute or two.
- Roll the dough out thinly and cut it into bone shapes. Or whatever you fancy!
- 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. Store dog treats in the fridge.
Gingerbread Men
Yes your dog can have gingerbread men just like humans!
Ingredients
310ml Water
60ml Olive Oil
120ml Molasses
2 Tablespoons Honey
360g Whole Wheat Flour
1/2-Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2-Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Tablespoon finely chopped Fresh Ginger
Directions
- Get two large bowls. In one bowl combine the 250ml of water, olive oil, molasses and honey. In the second bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves and finely chopped ginger.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the extra water if needed to form a firm dough. Mix until all are combined.
- Divide the dough into two, wrap and refrigerate for minimum 3.5 hours.
- Once chilled, remove dough from fridge and roll out dough thinly.
- Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F).
- Use a gingerbread man cutter to cut out the biscuits. Place on baking tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy making these treats for your pets and don’t forget to get the whole family involved. Making treats for your pooch this Christmas can be just as much fun as making them for friends and family.