One of Lily's absolute favourite treat recipes and a quick way to sneak in 1 of 5 a day into her carnivore diet.
We don't use treats to train or reward good behaviour. We did when Lily was a puppy, now all correct and acceptable behaviour is rewarded with cuddles, fussing and attention.
We use treats as energy boost whilst in midst of strenuous exercising such as long walks or hikes, extensive swimming sessions, riding bicycle etc.
Apple and carrot crunchies
Ingredients you will need:
3 medium carrots coarsely grated (wash but don't bother with peeling)
2 eggs (free range and hopefully RSPCA approved)
270 ml unsweetened chunky applesauce
50 ml organic coconut oil
50 ml runny honey
300 g porridge oats (you might need a little extra if the batter is too sticky, the batter will vary depending on the thickness of your oats)
Method:
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and roll out your dough (I find it easier to roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper, lightly dust the dough with flour or it will stick). This way I do not have to handle the sticky mess and struggle with scrubbing the rolling pin (Yep, I am pretty lazy like that, if I had a lazy badge, I would wear it with a pride).
Cut the dough in your preferred shape, I use the dog biscuit shape cookie cutter.
Undoubtedly Lily deeply cares about the shape of her cookies and appreciates the effort I put into making them resemble mini bones and she certainly would not even sniff them if they were in any other shape.
Bake on 180 degrees for 20-25 min.
Now the best part – once baked, removed from the oven and glaze each biscuit with coconut oil.
Wait for it to absorb and then brush over with a little bit of honey.
I am not a huge fan of using flour in dog treat recipes. As I really can't tolerate flour that well myself, I struggle to imagine that Lily`s tummy is 100% comfortable digesting white or wholemeal flour.
I use oats instead of flour whenever possible (for very fine consistency I blitz them in a food processor) and if I must use flour then it is mostly Gluten Free.
If you use the Old fashioned breakfast oats for this recipe (round, thicker, takes longer to cook), you risk jeopardising the shape of the biscuit – and let me tell you, it is immensely important to Lily that the biscuits are shaped flawlessly. As the oats are thicker it is pretty hard to cut a precise edges as the cookie cutter is not sharp enough.
However, according to the husband who is far less fussy about the looks - these oats crisp up in the oven really nicely and make the biscuits crunchy.
If you use instant / quick porridge oats (smaller, thinner, little dusty around the edges and really quick to cook) or if you blitz the old fashioned oats in a food processor – you get 100% better, near enough perfectly shaped biscuit, however, cookies taste a little more doughy.
Taste test:
Old fashioned porridge oat biscuits
Husband: 5 out of 5 - loved the crunch
Lily: I love it, give me some more
Cat: not interested
Quick/ instant porridge oat biscuits
Husband: 3 out of 5 as too doughy
Lily: I love it, give me some more
Cat: not interested
Dog-friendly. Human-friendly. The husband often fights Lily over last few biscuits.
The proof is in the pudding!
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