Easy Naughty and Nice Homemade Festive Dog Treats
For many dogs, tasty and nutritious food is the best present they could get around Christmas time. Choose from our Naughty (Cinnamon and Peanut Butter) and Nice (Turkey and Cranberry) treat recipes to make your dog something they'll really enjoy on the day. And why not use our favourite dog-themed tea towels, aprons, food wraps, and treat jars to help you.
Before you get started you'll need something to protect your Christmas jumpers - check our our Rupert Range apron (£20) below. With his festive red collar, somebody is already sniffing for Christmas treats.
2. Gather the ingredients you'll need for the basic versions of these biscuits to make around 15 treats:
To wipe up any spills so far, Mary Kilvert's colour-jammed Pack of Proud Pooches 100% Cotton Tea Towel (£12) will more than do the trick - there are so many well-dressed breeds here to help you clear up. See if you can spot the festive ones wearing warm wintery jumpers, woolly scarves and fashionable hats.
For our Naughty treat add on...
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3 ounces of smooth peanut butter
Mmm quick, simple and delicious.
4. Stir in the honey, cinnamon, peanut butter and rest of the water (you can boil the remaining water to help blend the last ingredients) until the mixture is smooth again.
5. Flour a kitchen surface and roll out your dough to roughly 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your treats using biscuit cutters or try and make some creative shapes yourself with a knife (think bones, pawprints, leaves, hearts, flowers, ball).
6. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 18-20 minutes until they are lightly brown (keep checking on them!). Leave to cool completely for a further 25 minutes and then it's festive treat time!
These are sure to be gone quickly, but why not use our brand new Hives and Herbals doggy Food Wraps to protect these sumptuous biscuits when they're left out or stored in the fridge. They're made using beeswax, are environmentally friendly and come in two different sizes and three colours:
And for our more savoury Nice treats...
110 grams dried cranberries (don't worry, these won't hurt your dog like raisins might)
120 grams of cooked and finely sliced turkey
Add beef/chicken stock to the water (make sure this half is boiled) to get that savoury flavour
2 ounces of chopped spinach will turn your biscuits a Christmassy green colour through natural, healthy means
You can add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds if you want to keep your dog feeling extra-healthy - they are great for the immune system as they contain Vitamin Bs, fibre, protein and omega-3s
4. Stir in the dried cranberries and make sure they're evenly spread out. Then add in the small slices of chopped turkey.
5. Boil the remainder of the water and add the chicken/beef stock cube. Pour this into the centre of the mixture and blend with the other ingredients. Chop or blend 2 ounces of spinach (dogs need help digesting it so don't throw in whole leaves) and add this to the mixture to give your dog Vitamins A, B, C and K. Stir in the chia seeds as well if you want to use these.
6. Again, flour a kitchen surface and roll out your dough to roughly 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your treats using biscuit cutters or use a knife to make your own shapes.
7. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 18-20 minutes until they are lightly brown (keep checking on them!). Leave to cool completely for a further 25 minutes and then it's festive treat time!
We don't think these luscious and flavourful treats will hang around for long either, so maybe you can hide them away in this Personalised Dog Treat Jar from Purple Glaze Pottery (£32). Substitute 'Dog Treats' for e.g. 'Ruby's Treats,' and choose from Hearts and Bones design below, multicoloured Polka Dots or Blue Stars.
If you wanted to get your children involved in baking for your family pet, some of our aprons also come in children's sizes. Have a look at Kate Moby's beautiful Inky Dog apron below (£24.95), the perfect piece of kitchenware to get your child in the mood for baking.
Naughty or Nice (or both!) these Christmassy treats are sure to be a huge hit with your dog back home. Even the naughtiest of dogs deserve a treat around Christmas time. You could break off bits to treat them advent-calendar style, place a couple (food-wrapped) in their stocking...or maybe they'll all be snaffled in one bite on Christmas Eve.