Bone Appétit: Homemade Dog Treats That Won’t Chew Through Your Wallet

Forget the confusing (and often unhealthy) ingredients and astronomical price tags you’ll find in store-bought dog treats. If you want to show your pooch some extra love, you need look no further than your kitchen pantry.

Americans are obsessed with dogs. Almost 60 million households are home to at least one canine friend. And most owners like to say “good boy” with an occasional (or frequent) treat. But read the ingredients list on most commercially manufactured goodies, and you’ll be scratching your head, wondering what on earth you’re handing over to Rover.

The cost of high-quality (meaning healthy) treats has risen significantly due to several factors, including increased demand, supply chain disruptions, and rising ingredient costs, according to FACE Foundation for Animals. Pet humanization and a trend toward more “gourmet” or functional treats are also contributing to higher prices.

There’s a simple solution that will give pet owners peace of mind about feeding healthy treats, one that’s also kind to your pocketbook. You can whip up a batch of delicious and nutritious goodies for your dog in no time at all.

Here at The Paper, we did some official, scientific research, using our staff’s beloved pets as test subjects. We searched online for an easy recipe, using minimal, natural ingredients, then baked up a batch for sampling.

The results of our experiment? An overwhelming “Woof!” (YES! in dog-speak) We’re including the recipe, and photos of some of the cutest dogs on earth as proof that preparing your own treats at home can be an easy solution to an expensive dilemma.

Easy Homemade Banana-Peanut Butter Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

2 cups old-fashioned oats OR 1¼ cups of organic oat flour

2 ripe bananas

½ cup natural peanut butter (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. If using oats, add to a food processor and grind until they are a fine powder. (If you’re using oat flour, skip this step.)
4. Add the ground oats (or the organic oat flour) to a bowl.
5. Peel and mash the bananas until they are mushy.
6. Add mashed bananas and peanut butter to oat flour and stir well. Add more oat flour if needed, until dough forms a semi-firm ball.
7. Lightly sprinkle a rolling surface with oat flour (or whole wheat flour) and roll the dough with a rolling pin until almost flat.
8. Use a small cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes or simply use a knife to cut into squares. Your dog will be happy with either choice.
9. Place the biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet. They will not spread as they bake, so you can place them close together.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the treats are slightly puffed up, dry and brown on the bottoms. They will still be soft when removed from the oven.
11. Let the biscuits rest on a wire rack and they will get a bit more firm. Be sure treats are completely cool before offering them to your pooch.

Store treats in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for several months.

Note on peanut butter: Be sure to buy natural peanut butter (the runny kind) for this recipe. The only ingredient should be peanuts. Avoid added oils and sugars, especially Xylitol, which is toxic to dogs.

Makes about 28 dog treats.