January 9, 2025, 9:15 am | Read time: 4 minutes
There are plenty of dog cookies in supermarkets and specialist shops. However, most of these contain a lot of additives or are not particularly healthy. So it’s no wonder that many owners like to bake their own biscuits for their four-legged friends. If you want to do something good for your dog – and not just at Christmas time – you can bake your own dog cookies instead of buying ready-made treats.
Baking healthy dog cookies yourself is a great way to spoil your four-legged friend with natural and fresh ingredients. Instead of industrial snacks, which often contain sugar, preservatives, or low-quality ingredients, dog owners can use simple recipes with high-quality ingredients. It is important to avoid foods that can be harmful to dogs. Nina Rottig, founder of the “Dog Bakery” app, tells PETBOOK how you can easily bake healthy dog cookies for your dog yourself.
How to Make Healthy Dog Biscuits
Knead the dough, cut it out, and put it into the oven: baking cookies is simply part of the Christmas season – and can also be done for dogs. Nina Rottig, who founded the “Dog Bakery” app together with her partner, reveals her tips and tricks so that our four-legged friends can have a nibble now and again.
“Baking dog cookies is really a matter close to my heart and something I’ve been doing intensively for around 11 years,” she explains. “It all started with baking dog cookies and various snacks for my own four-legged friends.” However, because she also wanted to help other dog owners and share her ideas, her partner Ben, who works full-time as a web developer, developed an app for iOS and Android where you can find recipes and blog posts about dog nutrition. There is now a website, including an online store for cookie cutters, baking ingredients, and more.
What Should You Look Out for When Baking Dog Cookies?
“If you bake dog cookies yourself, the health of your furry friends is, of course, the top priority,” says the baking expert. “The great thing about baking your own cookies is that you know exactly what’s in them. That’s why it’s super important to only use ingredients that dogs can really tolerate.”
Many dogs are sensitive to gluten, for example, which is why Nina and Ben focus on gluten-free alternatives in their recipes. “There are also some absolute no-goes: sugar, alcohol, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate have no place in dog cookies. Bulbous plants such as onions, leeks, and garlic, as well as raisins and grapes, are also taboo because they can be poisonous to dogs,” she says.
Another thing you shouldn’t forget is the shelf life of home-baked dog treats: “To ensure that the cookies last a long time, they need to dry out properly after baking – either in the oven or in a dehydrator,” advises Nina Rottig. “This not only makes them particularly crispy but also removes the excess moisture. If you store the finished cookies in an air-permeable container, they will keep for around 4-8 weeks.”
How to Make Dog Cookies That Are Guaranteed to Succeed
Before we get to the actual recipe, Nina Rottig has a few more tips: Because even though many recipes call for baking with water, the dog baker relies on specially made meat or vegetable stock. “This gives the cookies an intense flavor that dogs simply love,” she promises. If you cook the broth, however, you should be careful not to use onions and spices.
The baking temperature is also important. “It’s best to set the oven to 160 °C convection or 180 °C top/bottom heat. That way, the cookies will be evenly cooked and not too dark,” says the expert.
Last but not least, she also has a little insider tip for all dog owners: ground chia or linseed in the dough. “Not only do they make the cookies extra crunchy, but they are also super healthy for our four-legged friends. They make the texture really interesting!”
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Nina Rottig’s Recipe for Liver Sausage Cookies Without Egg
Ingredients:
- 55 grams of liver sausage
- 75 grams cottage cheese
- about 75 grams oat flour
- about 75 grams buckwheat flour
- 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
Accessories
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Hand mixer with a dough hook
- Rolling pin
- Baking paper
- Cookie cutters
Instructions:
- Place the liver sausage, cottage cheese, and oil in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the three ingredients together using a hand mixer.
- Gradually add the two types of flour until you have a smooth dough.
- Place the dough on a floured rolling mat/work surface and knead once by hand.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of approx. 5 mm using a rolling pin.
- Cut out the dough with as many cookie cutters as you like.
- Place the cookie shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until the edges are lightly browned. Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes per sheet.
- At the end, spread all the dog cookies back on the tray and dry in the oven at approx. 50 °C until they are really hard. Keep the oven door slightly open during this time.