The ultimate doggy Christmas treat

POLOKWANE – Eating delicious treats this festive season is not only limited to human companions. 

Review has compiled a delicious and drooling-success of a dog treat you can spoil your K9 companion with this Christmas. The recipe is quick and easy to make and will get your dog to wag its tail in no time at all.

You will need:

• Dry dog food.
• Hot (not boiled) water.
• Pet mince.
• Canned dog food.
• Beeno – Vitamin Enriched Treats – Chocolate Drops.

• Baking paper.
• Baking tray.
• Bowl.
• Cup.
• Cookie Cutter.

Instructions:

• Blend two cups of dry dog food into a powder consistency.
• Mix in a cup of pets mince and two tablespoons of canned food, as well as enough water to get a dough-like consistency.
• Take a cookie cutter and make various shapes.
• Put the cookies on the baking paper and onto the baking tray.
• Add some Beeno Chocolate Drops for decoration and pop it into the oven for 20 minutes at 80 deg C, for a semi-moist treat or 30 minutes for a crunchy treat.

Prepare one of the following icing recipes from best-dog-treat-recipes.com:

• Yogurt – use plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, not the sugary flavoured yogurts with fruits.
• Cream cheese – can be used as a base for your dog icing.
• Cottage cheese – Whip it in a blender or food processor to make it smooth.
• Carob – Carob powder gives icing a chocolate-like flavour and a natural sweetness. Use carob as a substitute for chocolate, which you should NOT give to your dog.
• Peanut butter – one of the all-time favourite flavours for dogs. Almost every dog loves peanut butter! You can use smooth or chunky (harder to spread). I like to use organic peanut butter without sugar.
• Egg yolks – Combine beaten egg yolks with some food colouring (can be liquid, paste or gel) and you’ll have an “egg wash”. If you spread this on your dog cookies before baking, your dog cookies will have a light colour and they will be shiny.
• Mashed potatoes – I prefer to use real mashed potatoes, to avoid the chemical in instant mashed potatoes, but you can use either. Mashed potatoes give you a moister icing, that does not dry hard, and the cookies should be refrigerated until serving.
• Arrowroot starch – This is a safe alternative to using corn starch, which is almost 100% likely to be GMO (genetically modified) and harmful to both people and dogs.
• Bananas – another popular flavour for dog treats and icing
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  Photo: Pexels

Finish off the cookies with one of the following as sprinkles:

• Chopped peanuts
• Bacon bits
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Chopped or grated carrots
• Chopped apples (mix with a little lemon to keep the apples from browning)
• Chopped meat (chicken or beef, deboned)
• Kibble that has been chopped into little pieces, in the blender