Doggone Delicious

When I have visitors, I love to let them know how much I appreciate their company by making them something special. Spending time in the kitchen in honour of a guest is my favourite way to welcome them into my home; and, since I love cooking, as well as sharing my passion for food, I really enjoy entertaining.

So, when I found out that my new friend Packer was coming over while his human parents enjoyed a nice evening out, I decided to make him a little treat. I figured he might be a little confused in his new surroundings with strange babysitters, and I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible.

I decided to bake him little biscuits, and since I knew that Packer has not yet tried a lot of different foods (although he has been known to eat garbage), I steered clear of recipes that contained a lot of ingredients (like cornmeal and cheese, which seem to be pretty common in homemade dog treats). It would be rude to fill his puppy stomach with treats over the course of the evening, and then have him go home and be sick; therefore, I selected the simplest recipe I could find: Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers, which only have four ingredients. I confirmed with his owners that he has been given peanut butter before, and then set to work.

The peanut butter and whole wheat-based dough was extremely easy to work with, which is great for a novice baker such as myself. Although bone-shaped treats would have been adorable, I just used the smallest biscuit cutter I could find; besides, I don't think their shape really mattered to Packer.

I was delighted to find that he absolutely loved the treats. He sat on command like a good little boy to get them, and gobbled them up at lightning speed. At one point, he even sat on the floor in front of the bowl that they were in, and barked for more. It was hard for me not to let him have them just for being cute, but I knew his owners are doing a great job training him, and didn't want to mess up any progress. I sent him home at the end of the evening with the leftovers, and am happy to know that he will be enjoying them for a little while longer.

I wouldn't ever post anything on my blog without tasting it, and since I knew exactly what was in this dog treat, I did sample one. The cookie was dense from the whole wheat, with a strong peanut butter smell and taste; however, not surprisingly, it was pretty bland. I might eat them if I were starving. Maybe. Oh well, who am I to judge a dog's tastes? He likes what he likes! I certainly respect that.

Since I'm getting my own puppy in about six weeks, I was happy to test this recipe on little Packer. A neighbourhood dog also really liked them, so I'm pretty confident in holding on to this recipe for the future. As a dog-lover, it was very heartwarming to see one willing to stand on his head to get something that I made especially for him. 

In short, if you have a puppy, know a puppy, or are a mail delivery person, I highly recommend these biscuits. Just remember to take their bark for it that they taste good.

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers: The recipe

Amanda's notes: I found that the biscuits were done at around the 14 minute mark. I used smooth peanut butter in case Packer wouldn't like the texture of crunchy, but after seeing how much he liked them, next time I'll use whatever is on hand. If you don't have cookie cutters, just cut the dough into squares; the dog won't mind!

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth) 

1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!