Bananas, peanut butter and yogurt are excellent ingredients to prepare delicious treats for your dog. If you want to save some money, be sure you know what to feed the dog or just like the idea of giving him something you have prepared, there are various ways to combine these ingredients and make something your friend will like. on all fours. Frozen sweets are great for the hot season, less suitable for winter. To prepare the dried ones you will need some special tools, but they last much longer than those baked in the oven. If your dog has any health problems, check with your vet to see if these treats are right for him.
Ingrediants
Frozen treats
- 2 mashed bananas
- 900 g of plain yogurt
- 130 g of peanut butter
Baked treats
- 300 g of rice flour
- 85 g of peanut butter
- 45 g of butter
- 3 mashed bananas
- 120 ml of plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Dried treats
- 250 ml of plain yogurt
- 1 mashed banana
- 1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Frozen Treats
Step 1. Gather the ingredients and prepare the utensils
By arranging everything before starting, you will avoid making messes or contaminating the food as you move around the kitchen in search of this or that ingredient. Prepare everything and make your life easier.
Step 2. Mix the yogurt, mashed bananas and peanut butter in a bowl
Mix the ingredients well: this way you can be sure that your dog will eat the right amount of each element. Peanut butter is good for dogs, but in small doses.
Step 3. Pour the dough into muffin molds
A dozen should be enough, but keep a few more on hand just to be safe. Consider how big you want the treats to be.
- Keep your dog's size in mind. If it is small in size, put less dough in each mold.
- Do not insert popsicle sticks or toothpicks. They could hurt the dog.
Step 4. Freeze overnight
By leaving them in the freezer overnight, you can be sure they will be well frozen. Being frozen, they will not only give your dog relief during hot summer days, but it will also take longer to eat them. If they are not well frozen, they will be less fun for your dog to consume.
Step 5. Remove the treat from the mold and give it to the dog
If you use disposable molds you may accidentally eat them. The treat should come out simply by squeezing the mold, but if you have difficulty, peel it off using a knife.
Method 2 of 3: Baked Treats
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C
If you don't, it will take longer to cook the food. You need to make sure that the oven is at the right temperature before you put the treats in, so that they cook properly.
Step 2. Grease the muffin tin
This way the treats won't stick to the pan. By greasing the mold you will be sure that they will not break when you take them out.
Step 3. Pour the rice flour into a large bowl
Rice flour is one of the most digestible for dogs: unlike other grains, dogs absorb most of the carbohydrates found in rice. In addition, it serves to give consistency to the sweets, to prevent them from falling apart as soon as they come out of the oven.
Step 4. Heat the peanut butter and butter until they melt
Stir and let cool, but not too much. You should be able to put your finger in it without getting burned. If you use butter that is too hot you could cook the eggs ahead of time, preventing them from mixing with the other ingredients.
- On the stove, use a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, it won't take long. Be careful not to burn it - butter burns very easily.
- If you use the microwave, make sure the container you use is suitable for this type of oven. To start, try for 20-30 seconds. Reheat only if necessary. You could burn the butter in the microwave as well as on the stove.
- If the butter is almost melted, stir it and wait a minute. You will see that it will melt further.
Step 5. In another bowl, add the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract
Then stir in the melted butter before it sets.
Step 6. Add the wet ingredients to the rice flour and incorporate them using a spatula
Continue until the dough is uniform. Don't worry about any small lumps of flour, your dog won't notice. Don't mix too much.
Step 7. Distribute the dough evenly in the muffin mold
Don't fill the cups completely - they're for a dog and are small treats, not full meals.
Step 8. Cook until inserting a toothpick in the center of the candy and you pull it out clean
This is because, when they are well cooked, the dough will no longer be sticky since the water will have almost completely evaporated. Don't worry if they will be a little overcooked. Check after 20 minutes.
- The most important thing is to cook the sweets well. Not only could it be dangerous to eat undercooked eggs, but the reward could also melt.
- A softer treat, suitable for older dogs, will take less time to cook than a crisper one for younger dogs with strong teeth.
- Regardless of the size and texture you want, fill each cup in the mold with the same amount of dough, otherwise the treats will not cook evenly.
Method 3 of 3: Dried Treats
Step 1. Prepare the dryer with a non-perforated fruit tray
Alternatively, cover the tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Placing the treats on a perforated tray without a solid support will create a nice mess: it would be a nuisance and you would waste excellent dog food.
Step 2. Grease a paper towel with oil
Rub it on the tray or parchment paper. It is used to prevent the sweets from sticking together.
Step 3. Mix the ingredients in a bowl
Make sure they are well mixed.
Step 4. Put the dough on the tray in piles distributed evenly
This way you can be sure that the treats will all dehydrate at the same time. It doesn't matter that they are all exactly the same size. Think about the size of the treat you want to give your dog.
Step 5. Leave to dry overnight at 50 ° C
You have to find the right balance between drying time and temperature. As with freezing, but unlike baking, dehydrating yogurt retains its probiotic properties. At temperatures above 55 ° C the lactic ferments of yogurt die. For safety, keep the dryer temperature between 45 and 55 ° C.
Step 6. Remove the treats from the tray or parchment paper and store them in a cool, dry place
Dehydrated treats like these keep pretty well. They will have a deadline, but they will hold out long enough in the pantry. They don't need to be refrigerated.
Advice
- Giving your dog these treats when you are out and about can be messy and messy.
- Dogs are carnivores, often omnivores for survival. Your dog's idea of a "small prize" is a fresh and still warm piece of deer or antelope just killed, preferably still bleeding. Preparing sweets with bananas, yogurt and peanut butter, foods not naturally consumed by dogs, is more for your well-being than for hers.
Warnings
- Do not use any kind of stick! If you use them, the dog may swallow them and choke.
- Dogs that have suffered from pancreatitis should avoid these treats, due to the fat contained in peanut butter.
- If you want to add other ingredients, make sure they are healthy for the dog. Dogs cannot eat grapes, raisins, or chocolate; in any case, consult a veterinarian or get a list of prohibited foods.
