Show your pups how much you love them with one of these easy homemade treats
Valentine’s Day tokens of affection are not necessarily reserved to the realm of humans. Pet parents can spread the love to their canine companions in the form of special dog treats. While you might be ok with spoiling your pup (a little…or maybe a lot!), buying packaged dog treats can get costly. To save a bit of (proverbial) dough, opt for homemade dog treats instead. This dog treat recipe is easy to make and can be customized in all sorts of fun ways.
A caveat: These homemade dog treats are made with beef liver. If you’re put off by the idea of handling organ meat, or by its odor, then this recipe might not be for you. On the other hand, you might find the experience no big deal or, at the very least, worth it to make your pooch’s day.
Start by adding chicken broth and beef liver to a pot. Cover and simmer. Transfer cooked liver and reserved cooking liquid to a food processor and pulse until smoothly blended. Add more cooking liquid, whole-wheat flour, and wheat germ, and pulse again until a dough-like consistency is achieved.
Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the dog treat dough from the food processor to your floured surface and knead the dough a few times. Flour the surface a bit again and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Using cookie cutters, cut out dog treat shapes. We were partial to bones and hearts, but you can have fun with customizing the shapes to your liking. Roll out the dough even thinner for smaller-sized cut-outs.
Place the treats on a baking sheet. Carve your dog’s name or initials into the treats with a toothpick or skewer. Bake, and once the treats are cool, they’re ready to be eaten up by your pup. You’re sure to get a few barks of approval!
