You know, sometimes life just throws you a curveball, or in my case, a picky eater of a dog. My good ol’ buddy, Buster, he’s usually a four-legged vacuum cleaner, but lately? He’s been giving his store-bought treats the side-eye. Sniff, walk away. The audacity!
So, I figured, alright, challenge accepted, you furry little gourmet. I decided to try my hand at making some treats myself. I’m no baker, mind you, not by a long shot. But “quick and easy” – that’s my kind of recipe.
Getting Started: What I Grabbed
First thing I did was raid the pantry. I wasn’t about to go on a special shopping trip for this experiment. This was supposed to be simple, remember?
- Peanut butter: The natural kind, the one where the oil separates. Made sure it didn’t have any of that xylitol stuff, super important for dogs.
- Rolled oats: Just plain old-fashioned oats. Had a big bag of it.
- A banana: There was one sitting on the counter, looking a bit too ripe. Perfect, I thought. Waste not, want not.
That’s it. Seriously. Three ingredients. I told you it was going to be easy.
The “Making Of” Part
Okay, so I grabbed a bowl. A big one, because I’m a messy worker. First, I peeled that banana and tossed it in. Took a fork and just mashed it up. It was pretty squishy, so that didn’t take long. Good way to get some minor frustrations out, mashing a banana.
Then, I scooped in a good dollop of peanut butter. How much? Uh, maybe like two big tablespoons? I didn’t really measure. Just eyed it. Seemed about right. Mixed that into the banana mush.
Next up, the oats. I started adding them bit by bit, mixing with a spoon. The goal was to get a dough that wasn’t too sticky, something I could actually handle. I kept adding oats until it felt right. If it got too dry, I figured I could add a tiny splash of water, but I didn’t need to.
Once the “dough” looked okay, I just used my hands. Washed them first, of course! I pinched off little bits and rolled them into small balls. Some were round, some were… less round. Buster doesn’t care about perfect shapes, and neither do I.
I laid them all out on a plate that I’d put some parchment paper on. Just so they wouldn’t stick.
The “Baking” (Not Really)
Now, you could bake these, I guess. Make them a bit crunchy. But I was going for “quick and easy,” remember? So, I just popped that plate into the fridge. Let them chill for about 30 minutes to an hour. They firmed up nicely. No oven, no fuss.
The Moment of Truth
Alright, so after they firmed up, I took one out. Called Buster over. He trotted in, probably expecting another one of his “fancy” store biscuits he’d been rejecting.
I held it out. He sniffed. His tail gave a little wag. He sniffed again, more intensely this time. Then, he gently took it from my hand. And crunch! Gone in two seconds. He looked up at me, eyes wide, like, “More of that, please!”
Success! It actually worked. He loved them. I made a few more and stored them in an airtight container in the fridge. They didn’t last long, let me tell you.
So yeah, that was my adventure into homemade dog treats. Super simple, Buster was happy, and I knew exactly what went into them. Win-win, I’d say. Definitely doing this again.