Biscuits to Share

I have two objectives here:

• Make a trail treat suitable and beneficial for dogs and humans alike.
• Make it nutritious, worthwhile, and tasty.

Ever tried a dog biscuit?

I’m all for eating some of the same food as my dogs, but knowing the manufacturing requirements for dog food is much less stringent than human food, and they’re allowed to put all sorts of by-product and less ‘clean’ ingredients in, I wouldn’t put commercially made dog treats in my mouth. That’s strike one. Dog treats also don’t profess to be nutritionally superior, as they are after all, treats. Strike two. As a trail runner I am savvy to good nutrition, proper fueling, and efficiency. If one food can fulfill all three, it’s game on!

Long ago I compiled a list of safe food ingredients for dogs I could use to bake my own dog treats. No by-products, no sub-par ingredients, no artificial preservatives. This was partly for my dog’s benefit, and also so I could eat these snacks too. One accessible sack of trail food to share between us just seemed….efficient.

So I experiment a lot. One of my favorite additions to every single recipe is herbs. I go for savory trail food and some of the perks of herbs, (in addition to the awesome flavor), is they often bring additional benefits, like helping reduce inflammation (a nice thing while running), aiding liver function, and the list goes on and on.

You will notice one ingredient notoriously missing from ever single recipe I ever make for dog biscuits, and that is salt. Dogs do not sweat except for on their paw pads, and the amount of salt in human food is staggering for dogs and their elimination system. So although the biscuits may seem a little bland to humans, especially those accustomed to lots of processed food or added salt, it is important to leave this common ingredient out in dog treats. To make up for the lack of salt we use honey, and this adds depth to the flavor and increase its palatability. I get all the salt I need from electrolyte drinks and salt tabs if we’re going long.

Without further ado, here is one of my favorite recipes:

Turmeric and Rosemary Trail Biscuits

2 large eggs

1/4 c honey

2/3 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c ground flax seed

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp cumin

3 cups white flour

1. Add all ingredients except flour to a bowl and mix well.

2. Once completely mixed start adding the flour slowly to gauge the consistency. I find two full cups mixed in creates a dough ready to be kneaded. The third cup of flour can be added in as needed as you are working the dough.

3. Knead the dough to a consistency which can be rolled out to about 1/8 inch thick. The longer you knead the dough the more elastic it becomes (due to the build up of gluten), and the chewier the final biscuit will be. I like a sturdy chewy biscuit since it won’t crumble as it is jostled around on a run, but it’s a matter of personal taste.

4. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough to a large thin sheet, no more than 1/8 inch thick. Here you have the option of using cookie cutters to shape your biscuits, or if you don’t really care what shape they are, transfer your dough sheet to a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. A pizza cutter is perfect for cutting long straight lines and creating small squares or triangles in your dough. This is so much faster than cookie cutters, but they do look a bit rustic!

5. Bake at 350 F for approximately 12 minutes, or until slightly golden. (They will harden as they cool.)

6. Let cool and enjoy! Biscuits should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for freshness.

A note about added herbs:

You know your dog best. While a healthy active dog will have no problem with these herbal ingredients and actually reap their benefits, there are certain conditions where they should be avoided, such as those who need to steer clear of blood thinners.

Turmeric is our primary super food here and is known for its holistic benefits of being anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, fighting free radicals, gut healing, improving brain function, and reducing symptoms of arthritis.

Source: https://www.dogster.com/dog-food/spices-for-dogs-what-spices-are-safe-for-dogs