Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I've found that I get the itch to bake late at night - usually around midnight. I'm a total night person anyways and I get my most energy (both physical and creative) while others are heading to bed. This was yet another Pinterest find (originally from Whisk Kid) that seemed so ridiculously easy I just had to try them late last night.

They were super easy - and I appreciated that they called for basic pantry ingredients. I doubled the recipe and threw in batches while I cleaned house. Jason wandered out around 1:30 a.m. and asked why the house smelled like peanut butter :) All three dogs got a small one last night and judging by how fast they were consumed, I think they were a hit! I also had an audience while photographing them today - they seem to always know when something is for them, doesn't they?

When you have some time, make a batch of these for your favorite canine. If you're feeling fancy, you could melt down some carob chips to drizzle/dip them in. I'll probably use this basic recipe to make large batches for Christmas gifts for all the dogs in my life and dress them up some. For now, my pampered pooches are quite happy with the way they are.

Peanut Butter Dog Treats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, oil, and water until smooth (a whisk worked best). Add the flours and work them in with a spatula or your hands until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray them down with Pam. Roll out the chilled dough to about 1/4" thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out as many shapes as you can. Bake the cutouts until firm and set (mine took about 12 minutes), then cool on wire rack. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.