Gluten-free dog treats made with peanut butter are a fun homemade cookie your fur babies will love. Cut them in the shape of gingerbread men for a fun Christmas gift!
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Big problem. You guys. . .I’ve become that girl. You know the one—the girl who hits her early 30s her mid-20s and doesn’t have human children so her dog becomes her child.
And she dresses that dog in cute little outfits, and doesn’t get out much because most places aren’t dog-friendly, and has to take into consideration her dog’s opinions on everything. . .
I successfully resisted becoming that girl until recently, mere days after my 23rd birthday (that’s the timeline we’ll stick with). But the other day I was at PetSmart and saw this little hooded sweater and knew I just had to get it for Cookie.
I took that sweater home and immediately dressed her in it despite the fact that it was 97 degrees outside and I had frozen food melting in the car.
But look at how cute it is! She’s a little teddy bear! Or a lamb? I’m not totally sure what the ears are.
Naturally, being the baker AND the crazy dog mom that I am, I love making homemade dog treats for my fur child. The last peanut butter dog treat recipe I shared was wildly popular with the dogs in my life.
But these peanut butter gluten-free dog treats are, dare I say, even more delicious than the apple peanut butter variety. (For canine taste buds anyway.) My brother’s dog happened to be over when I was photographing them and he didn’t leave my side the entire time.
I was going to wait a few weeks to share this recipe because it’s Christmas-themed and I don’t really want to post gingerbread men before Halloween even arrives. I just couldn’t resist. Now you have plenty of time to plan elaborate cookie trays for all of your dog friends.
They’re made with a little bit of molasses and cinnamon to give them a gingerbread color but you can cut them in any shape you like; I just think the gingerbread man is adorable. Keep in mind that if you make them bigger than about 1 1/2 inches you’ll need to adjust your cooking time.
You want to bake them until they’re very firm to the touch–how long this takes varies anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. The dog treats will crisp up as they cool.
I kept mine in an airtight container at room temperature for a week and they stayed crispy.
To make these gluten-free dog treats I used brown rice flour; the grocery store down the street from me stocks brown rice flour in the baking aisle but if yours doesn’t it’s easy to find at natural food stores or on Amazon.
In the photos some of the gingerbread men have white buttons. I used a little plain cream cheese for this and I gave them away immediately; I didn’t store them.
As an aside, how much fun would a homemade dog treat cookie exchange be? That needs to happen this holiday season 🙂
Now go forth and bake some peanut butter dog treats for your fur babies! Please join me in my craziness as a dog parent.
Did you make these gluten-free dog treats? Tell me what you think with a comment and rating below! And post a pic on Insta–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
Homemade gluten-free peanut butter dog treats are a fun way to say I love you to your fur baby!
- 1/3 cup well-stirred natural peanut butter crunchy or creamy
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 2 to 5 tablespoons water
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the peanut butter, flax seed, molasses, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Mix the egg in thoroughly. Gradually stir in the brown rice flour until fully incorporated, adding enough water to form a cohesive dough. (Dough will be very stiff and dry so your hands might work better than a spoon.)
- Roll dough out into 1/4-inch thick and use a 1.5-inch cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. (You can use any size cookie cutter but you’ll have to adjust your baking time.) Gather scraps and re-roll as necessary. Arrange cut out cookies on the prepared baking sheets. (The cookies won’t spread much so you can place them fairly close to each other.) Bake 25 to 40 minutes, until the cookies are thoroughly dried out. Cool completely on baking sheets, then store in an airtight container.
*I used a little bit of plain cream cheese to make the buttons on the gingerbread men; I gave those cookies away immediately and didn’t store them.
You can store the dog treats at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Sanna says
Is cinnamon suitable for dogs?
sharon bidner says
Cookie is almost as cute as my Tico! We recently found out that Tico is gluten intolerant and have him on special food, but finding treats has been difficult and EXPENSIVE. I have tried one online receipe so far but, well, let’s just say it didn’t work out to well and was sooooooooo stinky! My neighbour makes pb cookies and gives us sometimes, but they have flour in them.
In a long way about, I am trying to thank you for your receipe, and I am going to try them tonight!
Please work around the Canadian spelling in my comment. And thanks again!
Kelsie says
Hi Sharon! Cookie says thank you :). Store-bought gluten-free treats are ridiculously expensive aren’t they? You’ll have to let me know what Tico thinks of the homemade version!
Teesh Osita says
My dog is a bit on the larger side (she is totally my baby too!) so I’ve always had a hard time buying her costumes. SO envious you get to dress up Cookie! Who cares about the groceries!
Kelsie says
My feeling exactly! I can always get more frozen food, but seeing Cookie in her costume makes me so happy 🙂
grace says
darling cookies for a darling dog! 🙂
Kelsie says
Thank you, Grace! Happy Sunday!
crumbtopbaking says
These look so cute! We don’t have a dog….yet (I’m sure that day is coming!) but we always give xmas gifts to the dogs in our life. These treats would be the perfect gift. Definitely saving this recipe for December!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Leanne! I can’t wait to bake up a storm for all the dogs in my life too 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
NO shame in being a shameless dog-mom!! I was the same before my human children came along, and let me tell you. Some days I’d happily trade them for a furry friend haha – that sweater is adorable on Cookie and I’m sure you’ve got one happy pup on your hands!!
Kelsie says
Haha! Thank you Katherine! She’s such a happy girl, especially when I’m feeding her treats 🙂
Ben|Havocinthekitchen says
That must sound a little weird and awkward, but these dog treats look and sound very delicious – I mean I’d grab a few hah. Indeed, making this around Christmas is a great idea cause our pets deserve their Christmas “cookies” too, right. The most important thing is to notify beloved people or otherwise they might confuse the stuff. Also, although I don’t have a dog, it might be a good idea to have some of this in my pocket cause I know some friendly coyotes haha.
Kelsie says
Haha! My mom keeps dog treats in the same cupboard as snacks. I’ve almost eaten the dog treats on a few occasions :). I can’t decide if carrying treats with you would help with the coyote problem or make it worse. . .Just be careful, Ben!
kitchenriffs says
Fun picture! And those treats look awesome — Cookie must be one happy bowser. 🙂
Kelsie says
Thank you, John! Hope you’re having a great week!
evolvewithmary says
I do a ton of festival events selling my art and the booths that do the best business are the ones that focus on Dog treats. There’s something about spoiling your Dog that everyone understands. I wish I had a dog, these Gluten Free Peanut Butter Dog Treats look delicious.
Kelsie says
Thank you, Mary! The other dog treat recipe on my site is one of my most popular so I’m not surprised that dog treats are big sellers!
stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
Cookie looks adorable!! Its ok to spoil your four legged child!! They give us so much love!! Im so happy you made these treats! My mom got a puppy a few months ago and I have been wanting to make her some, these will be just great! Take care.
Kelsie says
I feel the same way! She gives me more than I could ever hope to give her :). Have a great rest of your week, my dear!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
Cookie is adorable in her new sweater!! She is one lucky fur baby to have a mommy who buys her nice clothes and make her tasty homemade treats. xx
Kelsie says
Thank you so much, Thao! I’m just glad she puts up with me and my need to dress her, haha!
thebakingskillet says
Cookie is so adorable, she needs cute treats! I will pass this on to my sis who just got a dog!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Jenny! Hooray for new puppies!