Making homemade dog treats is just as easy as making cookies for you and your family. In fact, they're prepared in almost the same way. Of course, the biggest benefit is that your furry friend will love these homemade treats! But beyond that, you also know exactly what is going into the treats and how it will impact your pup's health. Here are a couple of recipes to make your dog feel special this holiday season! ​

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog treats

(this recipe was created by Kelly, a user of allrecipes.com)

Your furry friend is an important member of the family, and that means they deserve homemade treats too! Sure, you can go out and buy a box of dog treats, but these Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats are made with love — and they're just as easy to make as making a batch of cookies.

Here's what you'll need to make the homemade pumpkin dog treats:

Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is packed with nutrients for your dog, like fiber, protein, and antioxidants. You can use all-purpose flour in a pinch, but it won't provide as many nutrients.

Eggs
Eggs are great for dogs and add protein, fatty acids, and vitamins to their diet.

Canned Pumpkin
Make sure you get pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The pumpkin pie filling can have added ingredients, like sugar, which isn't great for dogs.

Peanut Butter
Use natural peanut butter or double-check the ingredients and make sure the peanut butter doesn't contain Xylitol, which can be harmful to dogs.

Salt
The salt will help the treats' flavor — and it's perfectly safe for dogs in moderation.

Cinnamon
Not only does cinnamon give the treats a delicious flavor, but also it can provide some great nutritional benefits (like antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and better heart health).

Water
This optional step will keep the dog treats together and make it more workable for you.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl; stir with a spatula until combined.
3. Transfer the mixture to a work surface and work it with your hands until the mixture starts to come together. Add 1 teaspoon of water at a time (only if needed) to help make the dough workable, but don't add too much as it should be dry and stiff.
4. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 – 1/2 inch. Cut with a cookie cutter or cut into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a baking sheet.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until dog treats are golden brown and crunchy, about 40 minutes. Let cool before serving to your dog.

Diabetic Dog Treats

If you have a diabetic dog, then you know it is hard to find a treat that will do no harm. This is one of those treats. It is easy to fix, and even dogs without diabetes will enjoy them. The final result will be a bit spongey, if you bake them for about 5 minutes less they can be enjoyed by dogs with fewer teeth too!

Ingredients

• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 jars of baby food, any meat flavor will do but we used chicken.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 10×15-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
2. Place the baby food into a food processor with the flour and eggs, and process until smooth. Or add all ingredients to a bowl, and stir in the flour and eggs using a wooden spoon until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm. Cool, and cut into squares using a pizza cutter. The treats will have a consistency similar to a sponge. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.