Guest post article with dog treats recipe AND scrumptious bonbon recipe for us humans, by Cathy Brockway at Go Dog Nashville.
Christmas Cookies Recipes for Dogs and People. One for Me and One for You
One of my favorite Christmas activities is the days I spend in the kitchen, mixing bowls on hand, flour everywhere and whipping up batches of cookie dough to share with family and friends. The smells, the spices, the flavors! Cookies so festive, so pretty…but so unhealthy for those sad puppy-dog eyes watching me at my feet.
This year, I decided to do some creative baking and came up with several dog-friendly treats that complement the look and flavors of the cookies we look forward to all year. Make Minty Carob Liver Bonbons for your dog and then mix up a batch of Chocolate Peppermint Bonbons for you. They look pretty enough for a party. And your dog will appreciate the healthy ingredients.
Well, mostly your dog will appreciate the delicious tastes and smells!
Jump to Recipe
Chocolate and mint are such a perfect holiday combination. But chocolate is a big no-no for our canine friends. Carob chips are a healthy alternative.
If you’ve never tried carob before, you should! Some people call it a close taste to chocolate – but carob comes from the pod of the carob tree. The inside pulp of the pod is scooped out, dried, roasted and made into powder or into chocolate-like chips. It’s low in sugar, high in fiber and has no caffeine. And perfectly safe for your dog to consume.
To get that dark color cookie to match our people-cookie, a liver-based dough works perfectly. And dogs adore liver! You can use whatever liver your pup prefers – my dog’s flavor-of-choice is beef.
Liver packs a mighty nutritional punch. Vitamin A and iron are most well-known, but liver also provides protein, some B vitamins and trace minerals. Using organic, free-range liver is optimal – but you can use whatever is readily available. It will still give your dog lots of benefits. If your dog is not used to consuming liver, you’ll want to start slowly and work your way up. High amounts of liver in the diet can cause some doggos to develop diarrhea. Since we’re making treats that are only given on occasion, the small amount of liver in these yummy cookies should cause no intestinal issues. As always, consult with your veterinarian for advice on what foods are best for your particular pup.
We hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do. Cookies are just meant to share – and it’s good to have a safe, healthy alternative your dog can enjoy right along with you .
Minty Carob Bonbons Dog Treats Recipe
Minty Carob Liver Bonbons for Dogs
Ingredients
- 1 c Greek yogurt or kefir plain and unsweetened
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 c mint leaves be sure and use a dog-safe mint, such as peppermint or spearmint)
- 10-12 raspberries frozen is fine
- 1/2 c liver
- 1 c oat flour
- 1/2 c wheat flour or any flour your dog tolerates well
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 c carob chips optional, could also use dog-safe chocolate
Instructions
- Toss the first 3 ingredients in blender to make a mint yogurt mixture. Pulse for just a few moments to blend. Ifmixture is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of coconut water to thin. Breakapart raspberries and add a few bits to a small silicon mold of your choice.
- Pour or spoon yogurt mint mixture on top of raspberries. You should see somegreen mint leaf and red raspberry in each. Freeze until solid.
- Preheat oven to 375F/190degC
- Place liver in food processor and blend until you have a paste. Transfer liver to a bowl. Add flours, eggs and oil and mix until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead in carob chips if using. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely
- For optional decoration: When ready to serve, chop frozen peppermint treats intosmall pieces; attach to top of cookie with a dab of honey. Or you can simply attach the entire frozen treat
- These soft Liver Bonbons must be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for 2-3days. Freeze for longer storage
Notes
Chocolate Peppermint Bonbons Recipe For You
Chocolate Peppermint Bonbons
Ingredients
- 8 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1/2 c unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1/2 c finely crushed, hard peppermint candies
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Several coarsely chopped hard peppermint candies for decoration
Instructions
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and
mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup
crushed peppermint and sugar. Let cool. - Add eggs one at a time to melted chocolate, stirring well. Stir in extracts.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in chocolate
chips. Cover and chill dough for about 2 hours or until firm - Preheat oven to 325F.
- Shape dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12-13 minutes or until puffed and crinkly on top. Sprinkle coarsely
chopped peppermint candies on top, pressing lightly into top of cookie. Cool 5
minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling racks.
- Optional: Mix approx. ½ c. powdered sugar and a few teaspoons of milk to make a thin
glaze. Drizzle over completely cooled cookies.
Notes
This is a guest post written by the lovely Cathy Brockway over at Go Dog Nashville. Pop over and see what she gets up to with her lovely dog, Chloe.
Find more dog treats recipes here.
Find more delicious recipes for us 2-legged beasties here.
