Fraulein's Favorite Pumpkin Doggy Biscuits

Does your dog have a sweet tooth?  Mine does.

Fraulein

Yes, Fraulein likes anything sweet and especially loves the flavor of pumpkin with cinnamon.  I hate giving her unhealthy snacks and have to admit that occasionally my dog (Fraulein) has the pleasure of licking a beater when I'm baking pumpkin or ginger bread.  I know, my bad!  Thankfully those days are over!  I found a recipe today that I couldn't follow exactly because it called for different types of gluten-free flour that I don't have, so I tweaked it using what I could find and the doggy biscuits are now in the oven, leaving my house filled with the scent of pumpkin bread reminiscent of  the holidays.  It's heavenly!

Here is my own recipe for Pumpkin Doggy Biscuits:
Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour (I make my own by simply grinding whole oats in a coffee grinder for about 15 seconds)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour or any flour of your choice
1/4 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pure pumpkin puree  (not the pie filling!)
1 egg or egg equivalent
1 tbsp. organic virgin olive oil or heart healthy oil of choice (coconut might be good...I might try it next time!)
2 tbsp. ground organic flax seed
dash of cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice (optional but great if your dog has a sweet tooth!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the flours and ground flax seed.  Add in your optional spices if desired.  Add in the pumpkin puree, applesauce, egg and oil.  Mix until combined.  This is one treat you can allow your dogs to really enjoy!  Let your pet lick the beaters and the mixing bowl clean, after all it's made specially for them!

Now for the messy part!  Just try to channel your inner child for this task!  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture evenly with your hand until you get a thickness of about 1/8 inch.  It's easier if you keep your hand just damp with warm water and have some patience!  Score into squares, or use cookie cutters for shapes, but do not remove the shapes.  This is just to score the shape to make it easier to break apart after baking.  Now, bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours, until the biscuit has the desired crunchiness.  For an older dog you may not want it to be so crunchy, depending on their teeth and oral health.

Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment paper to a cooling rack.  Cool completely before you try to break the pieces apart.  For best results, store in the refrigerator for up to a week or store in the freezer and remove portions as needed.

Not too pretty, but tasty and ready to eat.  I even had one!

These will make great treats, training snacks or meal supplements for your dog.  You may want to play with ingredients based on your dog's special needs and this base recipe allows a lot of room for creativity!  I hope you'll let me know if you try the recipe and what changes you have made for your own dogs!

Fraulein happily does a taste test!

Fraulein loves her pumpkin "cookies" and comes running when I offer one!  I hope your dog (s) love this recipe too!  I'd love to hear from you what kind of treats you make for your own pets!