Beyond biscuits—here’s a homemade nutritious treat perfect for those festive occasions.
Yield: About 24 mini-mutt cups and 24 garnish cookies
 
Ingredients
For the Cups
2 1/2 cups (310 g) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (40 g) whole rolled oats
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/2 cup (130 g) all-natural crunchy peanut butter
 
For the Filling
1/2 cup (100 g) puréed pumpkin
16 ounces (450 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
 
Directions
For the Cups
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Combine wheat flour and oats in a large bowl. Add egg, water and peanut butter and mix well.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough and roll out to 1/8" (0.3 cm) thickness.
Cut out twenty-four 2" (5 cm) circles. Use remaining dough to cut out 24 small garnish cookies (Here’s an idea: Cut the cookies into your dog’s favorite shapes.)
Spray a mini-muffin pan with oil and lightly dust with flour. Lay circles in the mini-muffin cups and press.
Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool enough to handle, remove from pan, then let cool completely.
Store in sealed container until ready to fill with cheese mixture.
 
For the Filling
With a hand mixer, mix pumpkin and cream cheese together until well blended.
Place cream cheese mixture into a pastry bag with a large-tip opening; you can also use a plastic sandwich bag—snip corner of sandwich baggie to create a 1/2" (1.3 cm) opening.
Gently squeeze filling into cookie cups. Garnish with a small cookie.
 
From Good Treats Cookbook for Dogs [4] by Barbara Burg © 2007 by Quarry Books; used with permission.