Pumpkin-Oatmeal Dog Treats

I usually make at least one batch of dog treats during the holidays. I’ve posted my usual recipe here.

This old recipe is good and the dogs love it, but it was a little convoluted to make, especially this past holiday season when I had NO time.

I had four huge pumpkins to roast from the Halloween decorations so I obviously had a surplus of pumpkin puree on my hands. In my head, I thought my regular dog treats included pumpkin. Alas, they did not. (They are peanut butter based.) So, I found a very simple recipe to whip up with pumpkin and oatmeal.

Pumpkin-Oatmeal Dog Treats

Based on a recipe here.

Ingredients

  • 3 c. old fashion rolled oats
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 c. pumpkin (canned or homemade puree)
  • Up to 1 c. whole wheat flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two baking sheets with silicon pads or parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Add oats to the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment. Process oats on high speed for approximately 2 minutes, until they resemble a coarse flour. Add pumpkin puree and eggs to the processor, and pulse until a dough forms. Add more whole wheat flour until a stiff dough forms—stiff enough to roll out. It also depends on the consistency of your pumpkin as to how much flour you will need to add.
  3. Sprinkle whole wheat flour on a clean work surface and roll out the dough 1/4″ thick. Use a cookie cutter to press out the treats and place on the baking sheet. They won’t expand or rise much, so the treats can be put pretty close together. 
  4. Bake the treats for 20-30 minutes or until the treats brown a bit and have a cookie texture. Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Can also be frozen.

I’ve made at least four batches of since the holidays. The dogs went crazy for them at Christmas. (We were dog sitting one extra pooch.) They may not be as pretty as the glazed treats I used to make, but they are much easier!

Here they are sitting patiently for treats!

Note that the quantity of whole wheat flour you will need is dependent on the moisture level in your pumpkin. My first roasted pumpkin puree was a bit watery and I added almost a full cup of flour. For my latest batch, the pumpkin had less water content and was firmer so I used about 2/3 cups.

Save this for next year’s holidays or whenever you you have lot of pumpkin on hand.

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