So I have this sugar cookie recipe that I really like the consistency of. Its called Chewy Sugar Cookie from the Americas Test Kitchen web site. I'd really like to adapt this to a dog cookie recipe. Can I just reduce the sugar? Or would that ruin the consistency of the cookie? The recipe calls for 10 .5 oz of sugar, Id like to reduce that down to 2oz.

PLEASE Please Please google "dog cookie recipes" for the sake of the pooches that you want to treat. There are many many recipes that are healthy for animals.

Human cookies do NOT in any case survive this decrease in sugar. The consistency of a baked cookie is impacted badly when you cut the sugar in half. You will NOT have a chewy cookie by cutting 80% of the sugar. Nor will a dog be happy with it...

Google " Fido's Favorite Treats." It is a very easy recipe that can be rolled out and used with cookie cutters. My dogs like them, and it can be used to teach young ones how to roll out and cut out cookies. The dogs don't worry about the strange shapes that emerge.
























My dog

Yeah, people cookies aren't going to be good for dogs, even modified. Here's a dog cookie recipe that works really well rolled and cut. It's healthy for the dogs and doesn't contain any sugar. Whenever DH makes bacon, we put the fat in the freezer so I can make them whenever the mood strikes.

I've made them several times and they're always a hit. My dd who was a dog trainer at PetSmart, made them for all her "graduates". I once made them for my coworkers with dogs and one person actually ate one before I could stop him and he said they were pretty good.

One of these days I plan to try some icing from this web site to decorate them: http://www.k9cakery.com/ Actually, I'd like to try a lot of their products!

"Pooch Munchies"

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup bacon fat
1 cup shredded cheese (any kind, I usually use cheddar)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk

Place flour and garlic salt in large bowl; stir in bacon fat and add cheese and egg. Gradually add enough milk to form a dough. Knead dough and roll out to about 1/2" thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Elcee: Thanks for the recipe, sounds good!! I don't blame your friend at all. )

There are ingredients that are not good for dogs. It's a good idea to become familiar with these items and ingredients that are also good for dogs. Then you can make good decisions on what is best.

As stated before, once you know what to look for, there are many great recipes out there... and always many willing to be the taste testers.

The only human recipe that translates well into dog treats is biscotti. I use grated cheese instead of sugar, and more egg and less oil (don't use a butter based recipe). The dogs LOVE it.

What really surprises me about that dog treat recipe is the use of bacon fat. My dog got really sick one day (throwing up several times) so we brought him to the vet. The vet checked him out and could find nothing wrong, so he started asking about his diet. He asked if we had given him any bacon...we said no. We then realized that a visiting niece and nephew probably did (we had made bacon for breakfast that morning). The vet said bacon wasn't good for dogs.

Bacon is very rich, so some stomachs cant handle it.

Cheese is also very bad for dogs. I'd leave it out of my biscuits. The dog isnt going to miss it.

My new store will have a gourmet line of dog treats. The treats that I have had vet approved look nothing like people food. If you make it too much like people treats, that's exactly what it will be. It's too much information to go into to share info on canine nutrition. If it's just for your dog, do what you want. If you are selling it, be sure to be completely up on your canine nutrition facts and have a professional oversee your project. Labeling is important. Also check with your state Dept of Ag, as some states are much more strict on animal food products than human ones. A commercial kitchen is usually required, along with inspections and labeling. Some states may require a certified nutrition label.

Dogs should not have garlic, onions, grapes. My sister's dog died after eating pork. Her vet said, "Never feed a dog pork." My dog is allergic to eggs and chicken product-very common in dogs these days.
So, our recipe is very simple-
Peanut Butter Treats
  2 cups whole-wheat flour
  1 tbsp. baking powder
  1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
  1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.
I too had a friend eat one. Said it was a little hard-kind of like a dog biscuit. Well, what do you think?

My dog thinks that a teaspoon of plain yogurt is the best addition to his kibble. He does OK with lamb or beef but not chicken or fish. He thinks that plain wheat/egg biscotti with a little Parmesan instead of sugar or fat are great.

Recently when I had to buy him snacks on the go, I got this package that was plain old freeze dried cheddar cheese. If the dog likes cheese, then this is an amazing snack because you can start with lowfat cheese and it's crispy at the end.

I noticed that the pet store had different specialty combinations for the different sensitivities--I was grateful to find this cheese snack.