Dog Biscuits - No Measuring

by Ninzerbean

17K10448

Intro: Dog Biscuits - No Measuring

Sometimes I think that my two dogs (Possum Bean - pictured, and Taxi Bean) only eat their food because it's followed by a treat. Sometimes I buy treats and sometimes I make them, but my dogs much prefer the homemade ones as they will do all sorts of tricks to get a homemade one that they won't do for a store bought one. This is the first time I added bonito fish flakes to the mix and now my cat (Squid Bean) can't stop trying to get into the container sitting on the counter, so I have to say now that these are dog and cat biscuits.

I don't bother with measuring, or using a cookie cutter except at Christmas time (great and much appreciated gifts for doggie owners). These are fast, easy and delicious. I assume they are delicious, anyway I just have to take Possum and Taxi's ruffs ruffs, sitting and staying, and playing dead, as proof. Squid will lay down on command for a treat.

STEP 1: Supplies

  • A big mixing bowl
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie sheet
  • Mixing spoon
  • Pizza wheel or knife for cutting dough into biscuit shapes
  • Peanut butter
  • All sorts of good things you  may have in the cupboard such as but not limited to:
  • Brown rice flour, flax seeds, bran, almond meal, oat meal flakes you can put into a blender to make oat flour, steel cut oats, bonito flakes, chicken broth or water, wheat germ, pecans, sea weed flakes, chickpea flour, buckwheat flour, molasses.

STEP 2: Making Flours

If you use oatmeal and then go and try to cut the biscuits you will find you get some really ragged edges, I just run my oatmeal, and if I am using fish flakes, though the blender and that processing turns the ingredients into flour pretty quick.

STEP 3: Dry Ingredients

Don't measure, just use what you have, a little of this and a little of that. If you don't have a problem with dogs and corm meal by all means use it, I have read that dogs can itch something terrible from corn meal so I don't use it - but it seems to be the main ingredient in most dog biscuits (that I don't buy) so what do I know.

My one dog, Taxi Bean, is allergic to eggs and she will throw up within 5 minutes of having anything with egg in it, so I don't use eggs as a binder, if you dog has no problems with eggs then by all means use them. There looks to be a great recipe using eggs and corn meal here on Instructables, by all means try it.

If all you have in the cupboard is white flour, whole wheat flour and or stale bread use that too - this is a treat - it doesn't matter too much what you use as long as you use some liquid and some peanut butter as a binder. 

I have pretty healthy stuff in my cupboard so that is what is tend to use, I try to stay away from flours from wheat in general but there can't be much harm, as I have said before - these are treats.

STEP 4: Add Some Chicken Broth or Water

Add some liquid, enough to make a corse meal that you can still stir around with a spoon.

STEP 5: Peanut Butter Acts Like the Binder.

Yes, it's Jif, yes it has sugar in it, but these are treats, if you really don't want your dog to have sugar or salt use natural peanut butter. Add a big dollop, then start to mix with your hands and add more liquid as necessary to have dough stick together when squished but not so moist that you won't be able to roll it with your rolling pin.

A great benefit of using peanut butter is that you won't have to grease your cookie sheet, and dogs love the flavor.

STEP 6: Flatten and Roll

STEP 7: Freeze What You Don't Use

Store what dough you don't use right away in the freezer and let it come to room temperature to make more biscuits in the future. The dough should keep for 6 months in the freezer with no problem.

STEP 8: Cut Into Shapes

With a knife or a pizza wheel simply cut the uncooked dough into shapes and cook. I have a 16 pound dog and a 40 pound dog so no matter which biscuit I pick out, I break it in half and give Possum Bean the small half and Taxi Bean the large half.

STEP 9: How Long to Bake Biscuits

In a preheated, 275 F degree oven, bake for an hour and let the biscuits cool-down inside the oven. They will get nice and dried out that way.

STEP 10: This Is What They Look Like After Cooking and Cooling

A little shrunken, and nothing sticks to the pan.

STEP 11: Storage

No need to keep in the fridge, they'll stay fresh until they're gone.

STEP 12: Possum Loves Them!

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48 Comments

Maggs♍️ 7 years ago

Brilliant, thank you. My pug has an egg allergy and doesn't tolerate corn at all. Thank you for the tips regarding putting ingredients in a blender first and baking techniques. I'm going to make biscuits this afternoon! Have you added blueberries , raspberries, apples etc? Would they ruin the recipe if they aren't dried first?

Ninzerbean 7 years ago

I would think it would be best to dry those fruits first, otherwise the biscuits are sure to be too crumbly and the added moisture that won't entirely bake away will for sure make them go moldy. I hope your pug loves what you make. Corn is often blamed for allergies but in my own experience with a long gone dog, it was vaccines for rabies. Now I get my dogs tested to see if they still carry the vaccine in their blood - it's quite expensive, but after 3 years there was still enough of the vaccine left in him that he did not need another. This is a whole can of worms if you look into it and I don't think the internet is really the place - it would be more about asking other dog owners. There is too much wacky info online put out there by sensationalists in this particular category.

Maggs♍️ 7 years ago

I'm absolutely sure about the corn, it's astonishing how quickly it produces excema and ear infections. It only takes a minuscule amount But I've found French Bullies, Boston Terriers, Pugs, Pekes and English Bulls don't tolerate corn very well, if at all. I've been making dog food for sensitive dogs and eggs and corn seem to be high on the list of forbidden ingredients.. Some vaccinations use an egg globulin as a delivery system, this may pose problems in dogs with allergies.. Thank you again for your no nonsense easy-peasy recipes for Bickies

Dangle23 8 years ago

What type of wiener dog do you have a phat

Ninzerbean 8 years ago

phat? He is just a new color they came out with a few years ago. It has a feeble name - isabella tan - that is the name of the color. Not the dog's name.

waggy101 10 years ago

Why do all of your furry friends have bean in their name

Ninzerbean 10 years ago

Wow, I never realized that before, what a coincidence! No, really, I always pick names that sound good with 'bean' at the end. It started with Rodeo Bean. Then somehow it became my own nickname. TaxiBean died in February, now there is OtterBean, and I still have SquidBean and the King - PossumBean.

sunshiine 12 years ago

I had to comment on this one. I had been visiting my daughter in Ga. and one day I was cleaning the upstairs. I was a little hungry and began to smell something very good. A sweet dessert I thought. I could not resist so I went down stairs and on the counter were these cute little delicious smelling cookies! I asked my daughter what are these?
Her reply: Horse cookies!
What a Disappointment. That is not the best part.

I had worked my way to the kitchen to clean and my son-in law came home from work. He walked passed me and whisked up a cookie and before I could say anything he was out the kitchen door.
At dinner my daughter was chatting away and mentioned she had made horse cookies!
My son-in law gasped and said I ate one of those!
We laughed until tears rolled down our face.
It was priceless.
I enjoyed reading your ible. I love the names of your dogs!

Gottwinkies 12 years ago

LOL...I made a huge batch of doggie biscuits out of a failed bread batch and guess who ate most of them? Not the dogs, I can tell you!! Everything in them was safe for regular people and dogs as well. I used canned sweet potatoes to flavor them-big kids and dogs loved them!

sunshiine 12 years ago

I enjoyed reading this! Oh animals are so much fun! The people who own them are too! Thanks for sharing!

pneumadragonfly 13 years ago

Just wanted to add that beer may not be a good additive for your biscuits. According to this site:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677+1684&aid=1030

hops (a main component in beer) can be extremely harmful to your furry friends and is listed as an ingredient to avoid feeding your pets.

I found it to be a good list and even if it is not accurate I think it is one of those better safe than sorry situations in regards to what not to add to your biscuits.

Kinda makes me sad to find out hops are apparently dangerous to dogs since I had a relative that fed his dog beer on a daily basis. The dog died and as I was there for her final moments-- I witnessed several of the symptoms listed within the hops entry in her when she died-- which leads me to believe the beer might have sadly been the culprit in her demise.

On a positive note I am looking forward to making some biscuits with my son for Christmas dog treats! Thank you for this instructable :)

Ninzerbean 12 years ago

I just now found your great comment - I can see by the date that I was in China when you wrote and had some trouble saving emails while traveling. Thank you for letting me know about the beer. I will delete it from the 'ible just in case no one reads the comment section. Thanks ever so!

shlindz 13 years ago

I love making home made dog treats. I have 3 huskies and they love anything fish or peanut butter! I wanted to add that most regular peanut butters you buy in the store have sugar added to them to make the flavour a little less bitter. Dogs don't care if there's sugar or not, they just love peanut butter. I suggest buying the sugar free peanut butter. It usually doesn't cost any more than the regular stuff and is better for your dogs stomach.

Ninzerbean 13 years ago

That is a very good comment, I'm just lazy I guess because that is what I have in the cupboard. I assume it would be harder to stir together but the benefits would out weigh that. Thank you.

burriedalive 13 years ago

I bake a lot anyway so it's really easy to throw these togrther. I have two rescued Weimaraners(Gracie and Gert) who will never taste store bought biscuits againe and I will save a ton of $'s.Life is good!
Cheers,
burriedalive =^..^=
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