When the season of giving thanks rolled into town this year, I couldn't resist the call of fresh pumpkins, suddenly plentiful at the grocery store: I love roasted pumpkin myself, but Oscar might be a bigger fan than even I. Since I had been interested for some time in making a batch of homemade, baked dog treats for the Beast, I thought now a fitting time to research recipes that utilized this most excellent flavor...
Anyone with a dog likely knows that canned pumpkin should be a staple in any properly outfitted canine pantry, due to it's "magical" digestive-regulating properties - I don't know how much of that benefit is transferred after baking into a cookie, but it certainly can't hurt. The original version of the treat recipe I based the following on was actually born of the resourcefullness by one skilled chef, in response to her black lab's upset tummy, and fickle taste buds. That original recipe can be found on the blog simmer till done - but because I can never leave well enough alone, I made a few minor adjustments:
Since I only had wheat flours in my pantry - and I know my dog tolerates wheat just fine - I swapped out the rice flour for whole wheat... and I added turmeric. Turmeric (colored by the yellow pigment, curcumin), it turns out, is a powerful supplement, with anti-inflammatory benefits, and the power to inhibit tumor growth, and naturally dissolve lipomas (fatty tumors) - this recipe would provide only fractions of a pinch within in each cookie, but I'm inclined to never underestimate the power of trace amounts...
So, without further adieu - read on to learn how to make your own Perfect Pumpkin Pup-Treats...
1. Mix together wet ingredients: 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (since they're in season, we actually roasted a little sugar pumpkin and made our own puree!) and 2 eggs.
2. Seperately stir together dry ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour (we used whole wheat, but any flour can be substituted - just be aware that different flours may require a touch more pumpkin puree to form a good dough), 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp dry milk and 1 tsp turmeric.
3. Blend dry mixture into wet mixture until ingredients are mostly incorporated, then turn out the dough and knead until smooth.
4. Roll out the dough: I rolled mine down to about 1/8 of an inch, and used a small, bone-shaped cutter, but the exact thickness and size of cookie shape is up to you. Less is more in this house... a larger, thicker cookie will simply need more baking time.
5. Use a cookie cutter to make your treat shapes! I love the wee bone shape... *poking the treats with a fork will minimize puffing up during baking*
6. Place cut-outs on a baking sheet - we put our cookies directly on an un-greased sheet and had no problem with sticking - and bake at 350˚ for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just starting to brown. If you make larger cookies than I did, they'll likely need more time... just watch them for browning.
7. Turn out cookies to cool on a rack or plate and make sure they're completely cool before sealing them up in an airtight container. At the size we worked with, this recipe made over 6 dozen little bone-shaped treats! Oscar, as you might imagine, was thrilled with this output but demanded quality control inspections at regular intervals...
We hope your 4-pawed friends and family enjoy this handmade treat as much as Oscar does - and if the mixing and kneading and stamping and baking leaves you inspired to make more goodies for the pups, we have just the direction to point you in: Our good friends Pretty Fluffy and Chic Sprinkles (fellow lady dog-bloggers extraordinaire!) have just released a terrific new ebook titled "52 Weeks of Treats"! Dozens of inventive recipes (Sweet Potato Pretsels, Hearty Beef Bites... Puppylato!) and tips are combined with lovely photographs - all available for download! We're excited to give some of these tasty treats a spin in our kitchen... just in time for holiday gifting...
LOVE LOVE LOVE there is a grain-free alternative (Miss Athena can no longer have grains). I see this fine snack making an appearance at our house very shortly! Thanks Natalya/Oscar!!
Posted by: Holly Buttura | December 09, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Wonderful, Holly! These really are easy to make - and if you use a small cookie cutter, you get HEAPS of cookies from a single batch... sorry to hear about Athena's condition, but the rice flour version should work out perfectly - she'll never know the difference! :)
Posted by: Natalya | December 09, 2012 at 08:35 PM
Thanks so much for the mention Oscar + Natalya! Love Love this blog, the drawings, aaand OSCAR! Enjoy the treats xox
Posted by: Sarah | Chic Sprinkles | December 11, 2012 at 03:06 PM
So glad you commented on our biscuit recipe so we could find you. Love you site, artwork, and of course Ridgie! Oscar is so handsome. Love these biscuits too. The addition of tumeric is brilliant. We lost our first ridgie to a cancerous tumor so anything to help reduce any tumor, benign or not, is great. Happy New Year>
Todd & Diane - and Lexi & Sierra!
Posted by: White On Rice Couple | January 03, 2013 at 11:39 PM
Todd, Dianne, Lexi & Sierra,
We were PSYCHED to find you guys too!! Glad we could share a little naturopath knowledge! Hope you had a fantastic holiday, and are looking forward to a bright new year!!
xo Natalya & Oscar
Posted by: Natalya | January 06, 2013 at 03:24 PM