Today is our sweet Jem’s 3rd birthday! And for being such a good girl the last 3 years, she’s getting pumpkin cookies today! After all… it’s officially pumpkin season, so the dogs have been asking me where their pumpkin treats are! And in honor of Jem turning 3, these cookies are only 3 simple ingredients! Pumpkin is so healthy for dogs, and they go nuts for the flavor, so these treats are a win-win.
Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients
I know you’re busy with the day-to-day, and complex dog treat recipes that have a long list of ingredients are just too much to handle sometimes. I like to keep things simple, easy, with as little hassle as possible. If I can make a dog treat in my own kitchen for cheaper and in less time than it takes to drive to the grocery store and back, then it’s a good day! With only 3 ingredients, these cookies are a piece of cake to make, and they’re so healthy for our pups compared to the store-bought mystery meat treats.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup peanut butter
- 1 Cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 3/4 C brown rice flour (or the flour you prefer)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Combine Your Ingredients
Combine the peanut butter and pumpkin first:
Then add 1/4 C of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky and you’ve added a total of 1 3/4 Cups:
My helpers were especially interested in what was going on in the kitchen…
This is one of my favorite stages of making the dogs’ treats. They start to hear the noises coming from the kitchen, they smell the ingredients getting mixed together, and before long there’s 2 powerful noses seeing what I’m up to.
Their lickers are a great help with the clean up too! Somehow I think they know when I’m making a treat for them, and they can hardly stand to wait!
Step 3: Roll & Shape The Dough
If you want these treats to be super quick, then roll pieces of dough into balls and smash them flat on the baking sheet. No need for fancy shapes since the dogs won’t stare at them long enough to notice before chomping away.
If you’re feeling creative like I am today because it’s Jem’s birthday, then feel free to roll the dough flat about 1/4″ thick and use cookie cutters to create shapes.
Place the treats on a baking sheet, use parchment paper if you wish, and place in the oven.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let the treats cool completely. You can store these in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and freeze for 3 months. You can also freeze the dough if your pup can’t eat all of these treats in 2 weeks and bake them whenever you have the chance.
Step 5: Chow Down!
The dogs’ favorite part! And I have to say mine too… seeing them enjoy a treat so much that I made for them myself is really rewarding! Happy birthday Jem!
Once again the dogs went crazy over these treats! Zoey couldn’t contain her excitement…
Zoey likes to enjoy her treats on the rug…
While Jem scarfs them down one after another without wasting any time…
Jem truly had a great birthday filled with cookies, licking the baking spoons, and tonight she’ll get a couple bites of steak! It’s a little tradition her daddy started on her 1st birthday.
How do you celebrate your dog’s birthday? And does your dog love homemade treats as much as Zoey and Jem?