When Life Gives You Lemons....Make Dog Treats!

As I adjust our foster dog to a new, high quality, grain-free diet, I've discovered that grain free treats are not a very affordable option.  With chihuahuas, a $6 pack will last well over a month, but with a malamute requiring lots of positive reinforcement, this is a great expense.  She ate an entire bag in two days (in my defense it was an itty bitty bag of treats for toy breeds) as we teach her that the crate is not a punishment, but a safe happy place where she is to sleep and use when she needs some time to herself.  Her manners thus far have been impeccable, but she has to be crated at night and of course we want to spoil her a bit as well. 

I looked online for recipes and came across several to try.  I went with a drop cookie style treat this time and they've been a big hit with her and the chihuahuas.  Of course I can't just make a recipe, I have to alter and adjust to customize it to my own specifications, so this is my edit on an original recipe found on http://www.morethanpaleo.com

Grain-Free Dog Treats

2 sweet potatoes

2 T ground flax seed

4 T water

2 eggs

1 C peanut butter

1/2 C coconut milk

1 1/2 C garbanzo flour

Steam and mash the sweet potatoes.  I sliced mine and put them in the steamer basket of my rice cooker, allowed them to cool, pulled the peels off, and mixed them together in my mixer with the whisk attachment.

Mix the ground flax with the water in a separate bowl and leave it on the counter while the sweet potatoes cook, they'll absorb the water and form a paste.

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl to form a thick batter.  You may need to add more flour or coconut milk to your own desires.

Drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Pull them out and press them flat then put back in the oven for 10-30 minutes depending on the size of the treat.  The small treats (about the size of a quarter) require 20 minutes total cooking time and the large ones (pictured - the size of a conventional cookie) require 30 minutes total cooking time.

Allow to cool and then test them on your happy dogs and foster pup.  I plan on storing them in a glass jar, and from what I read online, they will keep up to two weeks on the counter.  This batch made 40 small cookies and 15 large cookies.