I found this recipe called “3 Ingredient Dog Treats“. I saw the ingredient lists and realized that I had all of those items, so I spontaneously made these bad boys. I noticed that I had some carrots and decided to add that to the recipe. I was worried that maybe Sumo, the Beagle, would not like this cookie, because she is not a fan of bananas. My recipe is based off of Diary of a Mad Crafter. If you would like to use the original recipe, feel free to click HERE for it.
Weird fun fact: When I used to work at a Vet hospital, the vets would often tell clients to help stop dogs from eating their own poop to feed them bananas, because it had a similar texture. I’m sure it’s only the texture that is similar to bananas and not the taste. Then again, I didn’t test out that theory, but I’m sticking to it.
Things You’ll Need:
- A potato masher
- Big Bowl
- Wooden spoon or a mixer
- Rolling pin
- Cookie Cutters (Although I didn’t have any, so I just made odd shapes)
- Oven
- Food Processor (optional)
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat flour
- 1 banana, mashed (I used two small apple bananas)
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup of shredded carrots (you can buy pre-cut ones)
Let’s get started!
Mash up those peeled bananas until it starts to look like a mushy banana pudding. It’s okay if there is lumps, but try to break up the bananas as best as you can. I’m sure the dogs are not going to hold it against you if they have a chunk of bananas in their cookie.
Preheat oven to 350.
Add the 1 and 1/2 cups flour to the bananas. No need to mix at this time.
On top of the flour, go ahead and add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil. It doesn’t have to be virgin, it can be anything style, as long it’s coconut oil. I found mines at Whole Foods for $9. Now start mixing it together. It’s going to take awhile, if you are doing it by hand. I found my batter was on the “wet” side. It was super sticky when I mixed it by hand, so I suggest just mixing it with a spoon. I decided to let the dough rest in the refrigerator, so the dough can “set”. I suggest leaving the dough for at least 3 hours, but I took mines out after an hour and it was less sticky, but not 100% sticky-free.
I tried to flatten it out as best that I could, then realizing that I didn’t have any cookie cutters! At that point, I just made weird shapes, but didn’t help the look of the cookie any better. Try to evenly roll out the dough, about 1 inch to 1.5 inches thick. Note: the thicker the cookie, the longer it will take to bake.
Bake for 20-45 minutes or until the cookies have a nice brown edges, like a typical cookie. I tried to cook it until the cookies are hard like a biscuit, but since I added the carrots, it came out like chewy oatmeal cookies instead.
Taste Test:
The testers are Scruffy (The Lhasa Apso. Small dog) and Sumo (The Beagle. Big dog). Like I said earlier, Sumo doesn’t like bananas, so it’s her reaction that I’m concentrating on. Did she like it?
Winner, winner, chicken cookie dinner! I guess the combination of the sweet carrots, wheat, and coconut oil masked the bananas enough that Sumo didn’t care. Scruffy loved it as well. Don’t worry, he had as much cookies as Sumo did. I’m a fair mama.
My Grade:
From “A Christmas Story”
I give this an A+++++. This recipe is a HIT with the dogs. It’s super easy, healthy, and cheap. If you can bake cookies, you can bake these doggie treats.
Other doggie recipes:
Other Foodie Guinea Pigs:
*Daily Tidbits*:
- I got to watch the “reunion” special to Amish Mafia. I love this show. A review should be coming shortly.
- Finish reading Beuwolf. That sh#t cray. Great poem.
- I’m kinda weirded out with this whole Manti Te’o fake relationship thing.
- Brainstorming on a new podcasting idea. Maybe a pop culture podcast in the works?
- Last night, O’ahu reached the high 50′s. In Hawai’i standards, that’s COLD! Brrrrr! ;)
- Currently watching Karate Kid 2. It’s weird to see Hawai’i as Okinawa.
Happy Doggie Day!
So cute you make cookies for your dogs. Both of them looked uber excited! Yummy and healthy. I don’t have coconut oil in the house. What else you use it for? I still want to try those no bake cookies you posted a while back!
@Lisa: I’ve used olive oil in other doggie treats creation before. I don’t think it will change the consistence too much. I’m not too sure with the taste. i think it will be fine.
The no bake cookies are a heaven sent. I think it would be a great project for you and little J to do together. LMK how it turns out. Good luck!
Good idea! I’m sure he’d love that. And I’m sure the dogs would love licking the food off of his hands
@lisa: HAHA! Totally! Dogs have no shame whatsoever.
Aww too cute!! My pup lovesss carrots, I’m def going to add them in next time!
@Diary of a Mad Crafter: Thanks for that AH-mazing recipe. It was so much to make! I wished I had cookie cutters or some kind of sculpting skills. My cookies did not come out cute, but the dogs didn’t seem to mind. HAHA.
I found the carrots added a lot of moisture to the dough. It wasn’t fun mixing and rolling it, but my carrots were going dry, so I had to use it in something. I hate when I waste food.
No animals for me and I won’t be telling my mama about this post since it will just get her harping on wanting a pet. I don’t care how much she wants one it is a no go for me. We live in a two bedroom apartment that my nephew tears up on a regular basis, and I don’t want the added stress.
Loved the post and I am glad that Sumo and Scruffy liked their treats. Did you taste it since essentially it was all eatable items?
@Illusyon: LOL. Poor mom! She really wants a dog so bad. It’s kinda funny, because it’s usually the child who wants the dog. Well, at least your mom wants a small dog, which can work well in your apartment. I think by her having a dog, maybe she would rely on you less. Then again, it could end up being a bad dog and a pain in a neck. So…idk. I think for now, maybe not having a dog is the wise thing. I don’t know how long your mom will hold out, tho.
I didn’t taste it, because I figured it’s going to taste like baked dough with no sugar. Plus what happens if I end up liking it? Then, I would eat it all and leave none for the dogs.
Sounds fairly healthy! Looks appetizing, too. I don’t have any dogs, but my cat Norman will eat anything. Rubber bands, grapes, dog food… maybe I’ll make some for him!
Nice A Christmas Story reference, by the way.
@George: HAHA. I love Norman. He sounds like my kind of cat. My cat, Saki, doesn’t really eat a lot of things (typical cat). However, my friend’s cat used to love eating raw spaghetti. It was weird, but cool at the same time.
Ahhh so sweet! I don’t have dogs but my mother-in-law is a dog trainer with 2 of her own. She loves this kind of thing so I’ll have to pass it on to her. I have no idea if this will work or not, but I had a thought in regards to the carrots so I thought I’d share it. I don’t know how well it would work with store bought shredded carrots. When you shred the carrots, salt them lightly and let them sit to drain for about 15 mins. Maybe it’s something to do before you start actually making the cookies. You can then put them in a clean kitchen towel and try to squeeze the moisture from them over the kitchen sink. The same process helps with potatoes if you’re making hashbrowns. Removing that moisture gets crispier and firmer hash browns than if all the moisture is left in the potato. So maybe it will work with the carrots?
@Rachel: You are a genius! I think that will work. Well, the theory does make sense. I will have to try that next time. I hope your mother-in-law test this recipe out as well. Let me know.
I hope you are getting better from your flu. I’ve always found Netflix to help heal me back to health. LOL Also a nice hot green tea always makes me happy. I hate the flu, which I’ve already told you. Be happy that you got it now, because that means you won’t get it again for another year or two.
The healing powers of Netflix are mighty and great, truly.
I’m also a huge fan of the healing powers of Lovefilm, which is Amazon’s version of On-Demand over here in the UK. Right now, I’m catching up on “Justified”. Good stuff. I’m not out of the woods but I definitely feel like I’m on the road to recovery. Hopefully, I’ll go the rest of my life without ever having another bout of this flu. It’s ridiculous. I had to drive my kids to school this morning, and lifting the hand brake left my arm feeling like I’d just done 20 sets of free weights on it. Keep going with the wonderful recipes. I’m always looking for great new recipe inspiration.
@Rachel: I’ve heard that “Justified” is an amazing show.
It’s amazing how a virus can cripple our bodies. I know that feeling that even little things can feel so hard and heavy to do. I hope you don’t get the flu ever again! You would think by now someone would’ve found a cure.
Fun! I feel bad, I’ve been way to lazy/preoccupied to take the time to do something like this for my dogs!
@Tiera: It’s never too late to start. That’s the great things about pets…they can’t remember all the broken promises we make them. LOL
They look good…and the dogs look so cute! Maybe I’ll bake some and feed my husband;)