Homemade Dog Treats are the best way to show your pet that you love them like family! These homemade peanut butter dog treats are an easy dog biscuit recipe that your fur baby would request every week if they could. If you’ve wondered how to make dog treats at home so they can have a healthy snack, it’s much easier than you think. Your dog deserves these homemade cookies and will be so excited!
What’s in this Dog Treats recipe?
Make these freshly-baked homemade dog treats to show your pet how special they are! They’re easy to make with just 5 main ingredients, and you can whip up a whole batch to store. Trust me, they’re going to absolutely love these peanut butter dog treats, and they’re healthy too.
- Flour: I prefer to use whole wheat flour for dog biscuits for the extra nutritional value. Other types of flour are fine to use, as long as you know your pup isn’t allergic.
- Peanut Butter: This thickens the mixture into a dough, and adds tasty peanut butter flavor! Use a natural peanut butter and check the ingredients list–do not use anything with Xylitol (an artificial sweetener), which is not safe for dogs.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together to form a pet-friendly cookie dough.
- Water: Adds a bit of moisture to help make the dough pliable.
- Honey: This sweetens the flavor just a little bit.
- Frosting: If you want to add a frosting for a bit of decoration, you’ll need more peanut butter and honey, plus hot water and cornstarch.
Note: Dogs can have allergies just like people, so while these ingredients are all safe for dogs in general, make sure you know what your friend can and cannot eat. I recommend giving them a small bite to test these treats out before you start using them regularly.
Can I make these peanut butter dog biscuits a different flavor?
While peanut butter dog treats seem to be a universally-loved flavor, you can absolutely change up these biscuits for your pup.
Use other nut butters if you know your dog likes them and can digest them. You can also use an equal amount of plain pumpkin puree or plain mashed sweet potato instead to make cookies for your dog.
But if you use different ingredients, keep an eye on the consistency of the dough–you want it to be quite firm and sticky. Add a smaller amount of these ingredients incrementally until it becomes firm enough to roll out and cut.
Yes, peanut butter is generally considered safe for dogs to eat. As I mentioned above, I recommend using a natural peanut butter. Unsalted varieties are great, and you can even find peanut butters brands that are made for dogs. Be sure to check the ingredients list, and avoid anything that contains Xylitol, or other artificial sweeteners.
Yes, all-purpose flour works too. I prefer whole wheat flour, but all-purpose is safe, as long as your dog isn’t allergic.
If your pup is allergic to wheat, use a flour alternative, like coconut flour or rice flour. However, it may change the consistency of the dough a bit.
Yes, all of the ingredients in this dog treats recipe are considered safe, healthy, and nutritional. Peanut butter contains essential vitamins and healthy fats, and the whole wheat flour has extra nutritional value as well. Honey contains a lot of sugar (of course), but we only use a small amount.
You can use any type or shape of cookie cutter you like, including the classic dog bone shape, Christmas and holidays shapes, hearts, and more. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, use the rim of a glass to cut out circles. Find a Customized Cookie Cutter for your dog’s breed on Etsy for more fun options.
Yes! We’re using ingredients that are safe for both dogs and people. While I wouldn’t recommend snacking on these, if a little one gets their hands on them, they’ll be okay!
This recipe makes treats that are nice and chewy. If your dog would prefer a crunchier biscuit, roll out the dough really thin. You could also keep them in the oven at a lower temperature (200°F) for a while to help them dry out and crisp up.
How to Store Homemade Treats
Once fully cooled, store homemade peanut butter dog biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 months. This recipe makes 24 cookies, so you’ll have plenty to share whenever your dog needs a healthy treat.
How to Freeze
This easy recipe for dog treats can be stored in the freezer for up to 8 months. I recommend placing a pan of them in the freezer for about an hour, then transferring them to a freezer-safe bag or container. This will prevent them from sticking together, so you can grab as many as you need, and keep the rest in storage. Move them to the fridge to thaw.
5-Star Review
“My husband and I wanted to bond over something, so we decided to make these for our two dogs. They go crazy over these. Cannot control themselves. I took a nibble too, and they’re not bad for humans either. They stayed nice and chewy sitting in a tupperware on the counter. Our smallest dog (8lbs) doesn’t like crunchy things, so the fact these are chewy was perfect. We even gifted some to the German Shepherd next door. We will be making these again!” – Sarah
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo with your pup in the comment section below and leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dog Treats
- 2½ cups whole wheat flour 300 grams (see note)
- 1 large egg 50 grams
- 1 cup peanut butter 270 grams (see note)
- 1 cup water 227 grams
- 2 tablespoons honey 43 grams (see note)
For the Frosting
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter 34 grams
- 1 tablespoon honey 21 grams
- ⅓ cup cornstarch 37 grams (can also use potato starch or arrowroot powder)
- 3-4 tablespoons hot water 43-57 grams
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and the egg. Add the peanut butter, water, and honey, and stir until you have a stiff dough. The dough becomes very firm and sticky. You may need to use your hands, or the paddle attachment on your mixer.2½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 large egg, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons honey
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about ½-inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes. The treats barely spread and rise, so get creative with your shapes.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden. Once done, set aside to cool. (If you have smaller cookies, use less time, otherwise the bottom might burn.)
- To make the frosting, combine the peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl, and heat in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey
- Add the melted peanut butter mixture to the cornstarch and stir until just combined.⅓ cup cornstarch
- Slowly add in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have reached the consistency that you would like. For a thinner frosting, add more water.3-4 tablespoons hot water
- Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe designs on top of each dog treat.
- Frost the treats with the peanut butter/honey mixture for an even more tempting cookie.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Flour: Some dogs are allergic to flour/wheat. If you want to make these wheat free, you can use rice flour of coconut flour as a replacement. These alternate flours will work, but might change the consistency a bit. Thanks so much to the readers who wrote it about this!
- Peanut Butter: Some peanut butter brands are including xylitol to cut the sugar in their peanut butter. Do not use any peanut butter containing xylitol as it is toxic to dogs. Just check for natural peanut butter and check the ingredients. Muah
- Honey: Avoid giving honey to immunocompromised dogs and dogs under 1 year old!
- Typically when you are using a royal frosting for cookies, you will make two different types of frosting consistency- a thicker frosting for the outline, and a thinner frosting to flood the inside with. You don’t have to do this but this is what you can do if you would like to go the extra mile for your furry friend.
- With the thicker frosting, create the outline of your design and wait for it to dry for about 10 minutes. When you make the thicker frosting, you probably only need 2-3 Tablespoons of water. The important thing is that it is thick enough to hold its shape, but thin enough that you can squeeze it through a piping tip.
- Fill in the outline with the thinner frosting and smooth it out with the tip of your finger. When you make the thin frosting, you will need 3-4 Tablespoons of water, and maybe more depending on how smooth of a finish you would like to have.
Nutrition Information
My dog is a cow dog and is always out working. When he is back he doesn’t really seem to like the peanut butter treats I make him. Any ideas? I really want to make him a treat but he just likes the D&B hard dog treats.
Does he like cheese? We have a great recipe for cheese dog treats (click here)!
Making for gifts for all my dogs “friends”
Those look amazing, Sarah!
Are there any substitutes for honey? My dog is only 8 months old and I think he’ll really like this treat
Pure maple syrup will work the best, but you could also try mashed banana or applesauce.
Thanks for asking this since 1 of my dogs is only 5 months old
The cookies needed a bit more flower, but they look good! My dog liked them.
Hi Melina, differences in measuring techniques can account for this, as can the relative humidity of your kitchen. Always listen to your instincts. If you feel they need more flour, add it!
All the fur babies are licking their chops. Very yummy for them thank u
So cute!! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have not tried this recipe yet but am excited to! I was wondering can I use oat flour which is healthiest for dogs instead of wheat flour?
That should work as an alternative!
Hi, I’m planning on making these for Christmas gifts. Do you think they’d be okay at room temp for gifting purposes with a note to store in the fridge/freezer when they get them home?
I think they should be ok for about a day!
This recipe is fantastic!!! Wish I would have found it sooner!
We’re so happy to hear you love it, Gigi!
To decorate cookies what food coloring is safe for dogs?
I am not a medical professional, so I cannot advise on food colorings, but you could certainly try using natural foods like beets or raspberries to color the frosting.
Hi, I have some almond flour, can dogs eat this, thanks
While dogs can have almond flour in small amounts, it’s always best to consult your vet before feeding new foods!