Recipe: Homemade Dog Biscuits

Many of you know I recently adopted a rescue named Kimi. A 4 year old pit bull mix, she came with lots of history and health problems. I've worked on both since she came home with me and my son at the beginning of May, and she's doing incredibly well both physically and socially.

One of the first things I had to address was I'll call "digestive issues", but every dog parent (or any parent for that matter) knows what I mean. I tried a number of different foods to help her digestion and one of the best was baked organic jewel yams from Whole Foods.

Three things about those jewel yams: they are actually a form of sweet potato, rank "number one in the nutrition of all vegetables", and they are only slightly more expensive than regular sweet potatoes at the chain grocery store. (Remember, I'm a public school teacher; I shop in Whole Foods as a treat or for specific items I can't find at ShopRite, so don't be put off by the purveyor.)

Jewel yams are also much creamier than regular sweet potatoes, and Kimi loves them. That got me thinking about how I could incorporate them into a portable, healthy treat I could use as a reward and let visitors give her when she was appropriately social. We also have many play dates with her BFF, Tipton, and who doesn't want to bring treats to their BFF?

I came up with this recipe by taking various ingredients from a number of recipes on the internet and in magazines, so my version may not be a new approach to some readers. However, it's the one Kimi and Tipton love, and it's easy to make!

Kimi's Jewel Biscuits

1 average size jewel yam microwaved to softness (takes about 8 minutes in my microwave on high)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used Skippy creamy)

1/2 cup regular oats (I used these because I had them - instant may work too)

3 Tbsp. wheat germ (Whole Foods brand but only because that's the only place that carried wheat germ in my town)

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used Gold brand from Walmart - figured that would balance out the Whole Foods purchases!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Using an electric mixer, mix together cooked yam, eggs, and peanut butter until creamy.

3. Crush oats in a blender until the consistency of grainy flour.

4. Add oats and wheat germ to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

5. Add 1 cup flour to batter and mix thoroughly.

6. Add remaining cup of flour gradually (I mixed a 1/2 cup then another 1/2 cup.)

7. Flour a surface and a rolling pin. (I also lightly floured the dough.) Roll out dough until roughly 1/4" thick but not more than 1/2" thick.

8. Use a dog biscuit cookie cutter to make biscuits. (I got mine at Joann Fabrics.) Place biscuits on greased cookie sheet. (Spray oil is fine.)

9. Bake for 30 minutes.

10. Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

Store in a Tupperware-like container but don't worry if the cookies get softer; dogs don't seem to mind! Also, your house will smell good after you bake these "cookies". My son had a friend over while I was baking; when he walked in, he immediately asked what smelled so good!

Please let me and Kimi know if you try this recipe - I'm sure your furry friend will love them as much as she does! If you have any other healthy ingredients you've baked in dog biscuits or any you'd like to suggest, please let us know that as well.