I remarked the other day that our dog enjoys Christmas more than anyone else. It's true. Our dog, George, has no idea what Christmas is all about. All he knows is that one day of the year he gets to nose through a giant sock and pull out a BRAND NEW TOY and DOG TREATS!! Best...day...ever. These cookies are part of our 12 days of Christmas cookies advent calendar - be sure to check out all the recipes.
George then runs around the house, a new toy proudly gripped between his teeth. The treats are opened and he gets to eat treats - before breakfast! What a great day! The best part? George's favourite apple and cheddar dog Christmas cookies...that I bake for him.
When you are baking for dogs there are a couple of important things to keep in mind. You can't simply pour anything into the recipe. Many "human" foods can be quite dangerous for dogs...check out our list of dangerous foods for dogs. You might be surprised by what makes the list. So, do your research before you make your treats. Also, dogs' stomachs can be more sensitive to things like wheat. While Arthur doesn't have a wheat allergy, many dogs do and we will be gifting these treats to other dogs. We skipped the wheat flour and opted for more neutral rice flour. Finally, dogs don't need salt and sugar. Yep, these treats aren't for human consumption...skip the flavour enhancers.
For these Christmas cookies, we put the dog bone cookie cutter away and pulled out our festive Christmas tree cutter. Your dog and the dogs you are gifting these cookies to, will LOVE George's favourite apple and cheddar Christmas cookies.
Apple and Cheddar Dog Christmas Cookies
1 ½ cup rice flour
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup oatmeal
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 tablespoon water
In a large bowl, combine flour, cheese, oatmeal, olive oil and apple sauce. Add water one tablespoon at a time. The dough will be slightly sticky.
Roll the ball of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll to ¼ inch thick. Use a festive cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
Bake cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes...depending on how large your cookies are you may need to bake the cookies a little longer.
The cookies are done when they are browned and firm. Cool the cookies on a rack.
Once the cookies are cooled it's time to prep them for gifting. Keep the cookies in an airtight container for a maximum of 2 weeks. If you plan on making the cookies in advance, they can be frozen and then thawed on the counter when you are ready to wrap them up. We will be slipping a bundle of these cookies into our dog's Christmas stocking...all dogs have Christmas stockings...right?
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