As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Simple homemade dog treats made with pumpkin puree, whole wheat flour, and bacon.
Bet you didn’t expect to see a pup on my blog today, did you?
The final recipe in our #FAFpumpkinweek is for the dogs. All those puppers you folks love so much. They deserve some pumpkin love too, don’t you agree?
I have to say… We do not have a dog. I’m not sure we will ever have a dog, but if our boys have any say in the matter… We might.
BUT, the truth is, I’m allergic and I don’t love pets in general. The dogs on our street and in our neighborhood? LOVE THEM. My boys ADORE this dog in particular that we borrowed for photos (hi, Oliver!), but I’m currently in the mindset of never wanting animal hair or fur in my house.
Please don’t hate me.
This recipe idea came from my assistant (hi, Lauren!). I emailed her back in May or June asking her for ideas for pumpkin week. She and I were on the same page about several new recipes, but when she asked “would you be opposed to a dog treats recipe?” I couldn’t say no.
HOW SMART!
I don’t particularly need this recipe, but I know like 99% of the population of my readers probably do. So I got to brainstorming!
I did some research on dog treats on the internets. I’d say the majority of them included peanut butter. And I decided I didn’t want to do that. Not only because there were one million peanut butter pumpkin dog treat recipes out there, but also because we are a peanut butter free home.
No, no allergies and no opposition to peanut butter (HELLO, I STILL LOVE YOU PB + CHOCOLATE), but Matt developed a legume intolerance a few years ago, so we rarely have beans, peas, or peanuts in our house anymore.
Not that that’s stopped me from sharing my beloved no bake peanut butter pie recipe or loving up for life on these ultimate peanut butter cookies in the past, but… I wanted to keep this peanut free upon principal and also internet saturation!
I made one batch of pumpkin dog treats, tasted one, decided I needed to try again, tasted that one, and decided I am not a dog, so I took to 6 different dog taste testers, and the consensus was… There were no dog treats left.
So I handed recipe #2 over to one of the dog owners to make herself, her pup loved them, she proved someone could recreate my recipe, so I called it a day. And realized I can never again taste-test dog treats.
SUPER SIMPLE INGREDIENTS AND METHOD
These pumpkin dog treats are mega simple. They’re made with whole wheat flour, though you’re certainly welcome to use all purpose. Whole wheat flour just tends to carry a bit more nutritional value. Pump up the health value of those treats!
We’ll add a little baking powder so the dog treats have some rise, but one egg, pumpkin, and water or milk are the “guts” of the whole thing.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PUMPKIN FOR DOGS
Side note… Did you know pumpkin can be good for dogs? Pumpkin without added sugar or spice can be helpful to keep things moving in the digestive tract. Pumpkin for the win!
I do add one special ingredient, though, and that’s BACON. You’ll use 4 strips of bacon per batch (the size cookie cutter I used made about 16 dog treats) plus the bacon grease. Just enough grease to hold things together but ultra bacon flavor with a little bit of crunch.
BACON ADDS A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA
Apparently, dogs love bacon. Turns out dogs are SMART.
I wound up with almost 3 dozen of these dog treats to distribute, and the opinion was the same all around– delish. And my BIL & SIL’s dogs who apparently are picky when it comes to treats had no problem gobbling these up.
So there you are, friends. A conclusion to #FAFpumpkinweek that’s one for the pups. While we may never actually own a dog, I’m happy to know that I can supply some healthier treat options to one if we ever decide to.
Until then… All the dogs of our neighborhood will be running to our driveway for more than just kiddo attention!
Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats (Peanut Free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour all purpose is fine
- 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/4 cup water or milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 strips cooked bacon (save the grease) chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, water or milk, and egg until smooth. Whisk in the bacon and bacon grease.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until everything is combined. You may need to use your hands.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll out to approximately 1/4" thick. Use desired shape cookie cutter, reroll, and cut again until there is no more dough left. Bake dog treats for 30 minutes, flipping treats over halfway through baking. Store dog treats covered at room temperature. Treats may be frozen, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Twinkie and Keno loved these! I’m making a second batch to give to my neighbors dogs.
Thanks so much, Minette!