Baking ... for dogs

    I'm not sure what this says about me, but on getting a new cookery book yesterday, the first recipe I earmarked to try was the one for dog biscuits.

    No reflection on Pam Corbin's most appetising-looking Cakes (the latest in the River Cottage Handbook series), in fact quite the opposite as no other cookbook I own contains a dog biscuit recipe, so full marks to this one for including something so wholesome for the canine members of the family, as well as much deliciousness for the rest of us.

    You mix together wholemeal flour, oats and oatmeal, flavour with grated carrot, caraway seeds and parsley, and bind with sunflower oil and beaten egg, then you roll out the dough and cut it into shapes - I don't have a 'bone' biscuit cutter (as used in the book) so I just made little stars and small balls. Baking takes about 50 minutes in a slowish oven.

    I've sampled one and it was jolly good indeed, in a nice, toasty, oaty way; you could easily serve them to humans with the addition of a little salt or maybe some grated Parmesan or a touch of cayenne pepper. Naturally, as soon as they had cooled I gave a couple each to Mollie and Pippin for proper consumer testing, and there was much wagging of tails and licking every last crumb off the floor, so we can safely pronounce them a success.

    If you think that making biscuits for dogs is just a step too far, rest assured I'll be doing more conventional baking from the book soon ... salt caramel shortbread, perhaps, or banana and chocolate cake (which uses up those overripe bananas that no-one wants to eat), maybe Somerset cider cake with hazelnut topping ...

Comments

[Dark Puss]

Any kitty snacks?

:-)

[Nancy]

That sounded so good I copied the last couple of paragraphs & emailed it to my husband. I think he would likely try this for his Jack Russell Terrible. :-)

[Cornflower]

But these biscuits are used as rewards for good behaviour, and surely that's a concept unknown to cats?

[Cornflower]

Terrible? !!

[Dark Puss]

That's probably true for this one anyway!

[Rebecca]

I wonder if hand baked dog biscuits would prevent my dog from stealing the lemon drizzle cake as it cools.

[Cornflower]

Your baking must be literally irresistible, Rebecca!

[Gigibird]

with a box of Bonio's costing over £1.50 I think making doggy treats could be cost effective.