An Easter treat for dogs

Have you rediscovered your inner Paul Hollywood recently? Judging by people’s social media feeds, there’s been a massive revival in baking, now that many of us are spending more time at home.

Neighbours are leaving sourdough starters on doorsteps, we’re having a go at hot cross buns for the first time, and spending hours creating Instagram-worthy cakes.

Show your dog some love

But what about your faithful canine sous chef? The one who’s always there ready to lend a helping paw in the kitchen. Who never hesitates to ‘test’ food that you may or may not have left out for them. Who’s happy to spend an afternoon at your feet in the hope that a few crumbs will fall in their direction.

Isn’t it time for your pooch to benefit from your baking prowess?

We’ve got just the thing. It’s a fabulously easy recipe for peanut butter-based dog treats that only takes 35 minutes from start to finish. Allowing you all the more time to recreate the Taj Mahal in Victoria sponge and buttercream later.

Take four store cupboard ingredients

The recipe includes just four ingredients. Paws crossed, you have all of these in your cupboard already, so don’t have to make any unnecessary extra trips to the shops. Here are the ingredients:

• 250g wholemeal flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 275g unsalted natural Xylitol-free peanut butter
• 225ml skimmed milk

The peanut butter must be free of Xylitol, an artificial sweetener that’s highly toxic to dogs. So do check the label.

Foods that are toxic for dogs

While we’re on the subject, here’s a list of common foods that can make your dog very unwell indeed. It includes chocolate and raisins, so that means you need to keep Easter eggs and hot cross buns well out of paw’s reach.

• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Almonds
• Garlic, onions and chives
• Macadamia nuts
• Avocado
• Xylitol (artificial sweetener)
• Grapes and raisins

On your marks. Get set… Bake!

Right, so you’ve got your wholemeal flour, baking powder, Xylitol-free peanut butter and skimmed milk ready beside you. If you’re feeling benevolent, you might ask your dog to check the quality of the peanut butter. When you get the right response from your canine quality controller (tail wag or raised paw), you know it’s safe to continue.

1. Start by preheating the oven to 190 C or gas mark 5 and greasing some baking trays. In one bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.
2. In another bowl, mix together the peanut butter and milk.
3. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter and milk and stir until it’s all blended together well.
4. Assess the interest of your canine sous chef. Have they retreated to their bed or are they glued to your feet? If it’s the latter, you know that the irresistible scent of peanut butter is having the desired effect.
   
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to 1cm thickness and cut into shapes using biscuit cutters. Bone shapes are a popular choice.
6. Your dog may want to help out at this point. Gently inform them that, sadly, they can’t get involved as they don’t have opposable thumbs.
7. Place the biscuits 2cm apart onto the prepared baking trays.
8. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Remove from the baking trays and allow to cool on wire racks.
9. Explain the concept of “allowing the biscuits to cool” to your pup.
10. Submit the final product to your canine controller for taste testing. As before, close observation of tails and paws will let you know if this batch reaches the desired standard.

Does your dog deserve a Hollywood handshake?

If you and your dog cook up something amazing together this Easter, we’d love to see the results. Please share your pictures with us on Facebook and Instagram