Bone Appétit: DIY Dog Treat Recipes To Make At Home

It seems the kitchen is as good a place as any to have some fun with our canine companions right now. So while our bikes and backpacks are waiting at the ready for the green light to get back at it, we're picking up our whisks and aprons and getting creative with our favorite sous chefs. Give these two homemade dog treat recipes a try – we're sure your #StayHome sidekick will be more than happy to help.

Bernie's Birthday Biscuits

Chef: Liz (also a Ruffwear Product Designer & Developer by day)

Sous Chef: Bernie

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour (I didn't have any actual flour on hand, but I had brown rice, so I ground it up in my blender and turned it into flour. If you don't have rice flour, try a grain-free flour)

1/2 cup finely diced apple

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon olive oil (can be replaced with other oil, like coconut oil, but check to make sure it's ok for dogs to consume before adding it in)

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grab a medium to a large-sized mixing bowl and a cookie sheet.

Step 2

Add all ingredients into the mixing bowl. Be sure to taste-test your apple and make sure it's good ;) we used a Honeycrisp so we had to try some!

Step 3

Stir together, and then combine well with hands into a dough ball.

Step 4

Flour a flat surface to roll out your dough (with a rolling pin or something cylindrical like a bottle). Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness, making sure the thickness is uniform throughout.

Step 5

Cut into whatever shapes you like! We went for hearts :)

Step 6

Oil your baking sheet. I use just a bit of olive oil and then spread with a small piece of paper towel.

Step 7

Bake for about 25 minutes, your biscuits are ready when they're a nice golden brown.

 

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Bailey's Favorite Chicken Liver Dog Biscuits with Ketchup Glaze

From Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller

Chef: Elise (also the Ruffwear Operations Coordinator by day)

Sous Chef: Bailey

Ingredients:

1 lb. Sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch wide pieces

13 oz. Chicken livers, cut into ½-inch pieces

¾ cup + 1 Tbs Fine cornmeal

3 cups + 3 Tbs All-purpose flour

1 cup Chicken stock

Ketchup Glaze

3 Tbs Ketchup

1 Tbs Egg whites

Step 1

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 250° F.  Line two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until it has rendered its fat and is a rich golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Step 2

Pour off all but a generous film of bacon fat. Add the chicken livers to the pan and sauté, turning them frequently and smashing them slightly, for about 5 minutes until broken down to a paste. Remove from the heat.

Step 3

Place the bacon in a food processor and pulse a few times to grind it. Add the chicken livers and process to combine, and then add the cornmeal and process until you have a coarse mixture.

Step 4

Transfer the mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and mix to combine. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and mix until the dough begins to gather around the paddle and feels moist to the touch. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it just enough to combine.

Step 5

Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll it out to a 3/8 inch thick sheet. Using the dog bone cutter (or a knife to cut into your own shapes), cut out the treats and arrange them on the prepared sheet pans. Knead the leftover trimmings together, roll out again, and cut out additional treats.

Step 6

Bake until the treats are completely dry, about 1.5 hours in a convection oven or 3 hours in a standard oven. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 200° F

Step 7

For the glaze: Whisk together the ketchup and egg whites in a small bowl and brush it over the top of the warm treats. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the glaze has set. Place the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the treats to the rack to cool completely.

The treats can be stored in a covered container for up to 1 month.