Homemade dog treats are a cheap and healthier way to treat your dog this Halloween! Homemade cookies lack the preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients that are found in most commercial treats, are fun to make, and dogs love them!
I first posted this recipe back in 2011, and it’s still to this day one of my dogs’ favorite treats! Even my Alaskan Klee Kai, Fenrir, loves these – and that’s saying a lot. He’s a very picky eater. Despite not containing all that much peanut butter, I’m always tempted to try one of these cookies while I’m baking them because they smell so similar to (human) peanut butter cookies. Pumpkin has quite a few health benefits for dogs, including being high in fiber. It’s a common ‘go to’ ingredient for dog owners when their furry friend’s tummy is feeling off. Besides being an extra tasty way to get some extra fiber into your pooch, the pumpkin gives these treats a fun, natural orange color that is perfect for celebrating fall!
Kitsune’s Spook Snack Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain (100% pure) canned pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/3 cup water
* This recipe makes quite a few treats, depending on what size you make them. Feel free to half the recipe if you’re looking for a smaller amount of treats, or want to make sure your dog likes these before making a ton!
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
- Mix ingredients together. The dough will be sticky (see photo above).
- Shape dough into rounded treat sized balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Feel free to play around with the size of your treat balls. Smaller treats work better as training treats. Larger ones work better if you’re using this recipe as a palatable way to offer your dog some pumpkin. I like to make a combo of different sized treats – some small and others larger. Tip: Keeping a bowl of warm water nearby and wetting your hands while shaping the treats can help to make the dough feel less sticky.
- Bake until the treats start to turn slightly brown and feel firm on the outside. 30 minutes has always worked perfectly for me when I make this recipe. These treats are on the softer side, especially on the inside, as long as you don’t over bake them.
- Let cool, and let your dog enjoy!
- Because they do not contain any preservatives, uneaten treats last longer when stored in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!! If you try out our Halloween dog treats recipe, you’ll have to let us know how they turn out. Happy (early) Halloween and (late) fall! Comment below! What is your pet(s) favorite kind of treats? Do you give them any special kinds to celebrate fall, or any of the fall holidays?
13 Comments
Hi,
this will definitely come in handy for next years halloween celebrations
[…] when my dogs experience GI issues. Especially around the fall holidays, I like to make my boys homemade treats that contain pumpkin. It's an easy, fun way to include them in our holiday celebrations while, at the same time, […]
We make treats just like these for the dogs and they love them! My toddlers also love making these – and I think they are great because I don’t have to worry about my kids taking a bite or “sharing” these with the dogs and vice-versa.
That’s such a good point! They even seem like they would taste good, lol. I’ve been tempted to take a bite out of some of the dog treats I’ve made too!
Ha! These treats look like they are easy to make with minimal ingredients. Perfect treats for Halloween (or anytime). As for treats. the only ones my girls used to eat are the chewy treats out of the bag from the store. LOL This recipe is much healthier though.
lol Right out of the bag…that sounds adorable!
These treats look amazing and I only wish Ms Picky Eater would eat biscuits but she is not interested, I have tried making in the past and donated them in the end as she was not interested. Thanks for the recipe
It might be worth it to try some different recipes! My Fenrir is SUPER picky too, but he likes these and I’ve found a few other recipes he likes too. Hey, worst case you can donate them if your dog doesn’t like them 🙂
Henry would love these cookies! He’s a big pumpkin fan and if he thinks it’s possibly human food, he’s even more of a fan. I’ll have to try these for him. Thanks for sharing!
I love this. OK I admit it, they look so tasty I’d want them myself but people NEED to know things like this are so much fun and so easy to make
These look great! Our pups LOVE both pumpkin and peanut butter, so I am sure that these treats would leave them begging for more. We’re going to have to give this recipe a try and see what they think.
That sounds both like a yummy and healthy dog treats. Great recipe. Would it work with a different kind of flour, such as coconut flour?
[…] My 13 year old papillon, Kitsune, loves all the types of winter squash I’ve tried offering him! He’ll eat pureed pumpkin plain right out of a bowl, which is helpful for times when I want to offer it to him to help with GI upset. My Alaskan Klee Kai, Fenrir, is a pickier eater and, so far, won’t eat any type of winter squash plain. But I can usually convince him to eat some if I mix it in with his regular food, or use it as an ingredient in homemade treats. […]