One of the most exciting moments on the Best Bully Sticks Healthy Dog Blog is discovering the ingenious recipes that dog lovers whip up in their homes! What’s even more wonderful is that they give us the opportunity to share them with you!
That being said, this Wednesday’s trip into Best Bully Stick’s recipe book is a gift from the blog Sliver & Chalk. This blog, created and curated by Megan VanSchaick, a freelance writer and a lover of whimsy and art. She posts many craft projects and recipes, including the one she shared with us, Rustic Root Vegetable Dog Treats.
Here is Megan's original post along with wonderful photos of her process and her beautiful dogs, Draya and Bronx.
“A few months ago, in the midst of my sourdough bread flurry, I decided to try my hand at homemade dog treats. I’ve never felt great about dog biscuits. Also, we have lots of veggie scraps in this house, even with keeping a stock bag in the freezer. And my dogs love fruits and vegetables. Draya would shank you in the back to get a piece of banana; Bronx seems to feel the same about carrots.
I had a kitchen disaster this week, while attempting beet chips, which led to lots of raw beet scraps. And I always keep a jar of chopped carrot peels in the freezer. Then there was that lone banana, staring at me from atop the flour tin, accusing me of not eating it before those spots showed up. Whatever could be done?
Dog biscuits. (Don’t you think Rustic Root Vegetable Dog Treats sounds so much more Martha-y than Vegetable Scrap Dog Biscuits? Me, too.)
There are a billion dog treat recipes on the web (beware: many of these contain a lot of sugar and salt), but I use a super simple base that I can alter according to what veggies I’m using.
My base is just cornmeal, flour, a bit of oil or applesauce, and egg. Everything else is determined by what I have on hand, usually.
Dog Biscuit Base
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups flour (can be white or whole wheat)
6 tablespoons oil (can sub applesauce, or omit completely)
2/3 cup water
I usually just eyeball these extras, and if the dough is too wet or dry, I adjust the amount of flour. I have also found that making a puree of the vegetables/fruits/herbs is easier to work with.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch, then cut the biscuits and place them on the baking sheet. Bake at 325F for about 60 minutes. The biscuits should be dry to the touch and have little-to-no squish when you push down on the middles. Turn the oven off, and allow the biscuits to cool inside the oven. They should come out completely dry and crunchy, but if your oven is wonky (like mine) you can just stick them back in for another 15-30 minutes.
Once cooled, store them in an airtight container.
Dog Biscuit Options
1/2 rolled oats
1-2 eggs (I have found that if I use 2 eggs, I can leave out the oil)
chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
chopped mint (fresh or dried)
carrots
beets
banana
apple
peanut butter
Thank you Megan for sharing this beautiful and easy recipe with Best Bully Sticks and our readers and customers! If Draya and Bronx love them, we know that bully stick loving dogs will, too!
Check out all the great Weekly Drool Recipes on the BBS Blog! Summer recipes are a-plenty every Wednesday throughout the season! Fresh Watermelon Salad, Bully Stick Popsicles and Blueberry Pie Dog Treats are just a few great summer recipes that are sure to please your pup this summer.
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Love it! and just look at those happy faces!
This sounds great, but I am wondering if I can switch out the cornmeal for something in the base….I have two dogs in my house that can't have any corn products….but between my seven they ALL love fruits and veggies, so you know I plan on figuring this one out <3.
Hi Kimberly!
A quick google search suggested ground up cracker crumbs, break crumbs or even cereal! I hope this helps! We know your pups are sure to love this great recipe!
Sounds wonderful, nutritious, and easy. I will be making these for my grand-doggies!