Deliciously Wonky Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies: Easy Homemade Dog Treats
Have you ever stared at your pup’s drooly jowls and thought—what if I made something that would make those eyes bulge even more than when I open a bag of chips? That’s exactly what hit me last Tuesday when Barker (my 7-year-old rescue mutt with the wonkiest ear-to-tail ratio you’ve ever seen) was giving me the guilt-stare while I dipped my toast into peanut butter. I’ve been baking for dogs since that disastrous pet store recall in 2019, but lemme tell ya, I’ve never quite perfected the art of the “crumb-flake distribution” until these Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies came alongg. They’re simple enough that even my brother—who once set water on fire—could make them, yet fancy enough that your dog will think you’ve been taking private lessons from a French bulldog pastry chef.
My Barker-Approved Baking Journey
Sometimes I think about cheese before bed, and that’s exactly how these Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies started—with a completely unrelated midnight craving that somehow morphed into dog treats by morning.
I first attempted dog biscuits in 2016 after Barker rejected a $24 bag of “premium” treats that smelled like concentrated fish cemetery. My initial batches were what I call “concrete frisbees”—the vet actually asked if I was intentionally strengthening my dog’s jaw muscles! Carlos (my neighbor who randomly leaves sourdough starter on my porch) suggested I mellow the texture with honey, and Jenny thought peanut butter would solve everything (Jenny thinks peanut butter solves EVERYTHING, including her divorce, but that’s another story).
Living in the Midwest means my kitchen is basically a sauna from May through September, which presents unique risen-dough challenges when working with honey. I’ve had to develop what I call the “half-freezer pause” (a completely unnecessary step I’ll explain later) to manage my kitchen’s aggressive humidity patterns.
When I’m feelin’ fancy, I’ll shape these Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Treats into little squirrels that look more like deformed potatoes, but Barker doesn’t seem to care about the visual disappointment.
What You’ll Toss Together (Ingredients)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (the grainy kind that gets EVERYWHERE—I find it in my socks weeks later)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (unsweetened, because apparently xylitol can kill dogs, which I learned after a terrifying Google spiral at 2am)
- ¼ cup honey (the fancy kind is wasted here—I use the bear-shaped bottle that’s been in my cabinet since Obama was president)
- 1 splotch of coconut oil (roughly a tablespoon if you’re boring and measure things)
- 1 egg (preferably from a chicken, but I don’t judge)
- ~⅔ cup water (give or take a splash, depending on your flour’s thirstiness)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but adds what I call “snout-appeal”)
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed (my personal addition that makes me feel like I’m giving Barker omega-3s, though he’d happily eat cardboard)
- A pinch of salt (like, seriously tiny—just enough to make the Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies taste less like sawdust)
- 1 Aunt Martha scoop of rolled oats (about ⅓ cup in normal people measurements)
The How-To Chaos (Directions)
A. First things first—heat your oven to 350°F. Or 340°F if your oven runs hot like mine did after that unfortunate lasagna incident of 2018. I actually keep an oven thermometer in there now because I don’t trust any appliance that’s witnessed my cooking failures.
II. Plop the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and egg into a bowl. Mix until it resembles something between cake batter and that mud mask I accidentally bought online. This should take approximately the length of one dog bark at the mailman.
Three) In a separate bowl (or the same one if you’re a risk-taker like my cousin Pete), whisp-combine all the dry ingredients using the “cloud-fold” technique—which is just my fancy term for stirring really gently so flour doesn’t explode all over your kitchen. I learned this the hard way during The Great Flour Disaster that my ex still brings up at family gatherings.
D – Now for the tricky part: slowly add the water to the dry ingredients while simultaneously adding the peanut butter mixture. Actually, that’s impossible unless you’re an octopus—just dump it all together and squish it with your hands until it forms a dough. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still be slightly sticky. If it’s too dry, add water by the droplet. If too wet, I just stare at it disapprovingly until it behaves. Check out my disaster-proof dough techniques here
E: Floured surface time! Roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thickness—or thicker if your dog prefers a chewier experience. Barker likes what I call “precision chonk” thickness (about ⅓ inch). Cut into whatever shapes delight your soul. I use a bone-shaped cutter I stole—I mean borrowed permanently—from my sister’s baking drawer.
Six. Arrange these soon-to-be Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Poke each one with a fork to prevent them from inflating like my ego when someone compliments my cooking. This is called “Barker’s stipple” in my kitchen.
VII: Bake for 18 minutes—no, wait, make that 15-20 minutes depending on your desired cronchiness level. For ultimate shelf-stability, perform the “second-heat”: after baking, turn off the oven, crack the door open, and leave the treats inside until everything cools completely. Browse my other oven hacks for pet treats here
Random Wisdom (Notes & Tips)
• STORE THESE PROPERLY! Unlike that time I left dog biscuits in my glove compartment during summer (regrets were had), these should be kept in an airtight container. They’ll last about 2 weeks at room temperature, a month in the fridge, or until the next apocalypse if frozen.
• Peanut butter selection matters more than your dating choices. Avoid anything with xylitol or added sugar. Check the Canine Nutrition Foundation’s guide on safe nut butters for dogs
※ The “Golden Sniff Test” – if your dog doesn’t immediately perform what I call the “hover-snout” when you’re mixing ingredients, add another spoonful of peanut butter. This technique was taught to me by Gladys, my imaginary culinary mentor who specializes in canine gastronomy.
• For extra-special occasions, you can drizzle these Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies with a dog-safe “icing” made from Greek yogurt mixed with a tiny bit more honey. It hardens slightly in the fridge and makes your dog look at you like you’re some kind of treat wizard. Try my other dog-safe toppings here
⊕ Controversial opinion: I deliberately underbake the center cookies on the tray for dogs with senior mouths, while over-baking the edge cookies for puppers who need dental assistance. My vet thinks this is ridiculous, but he also wears Crocs to formal events, so who’s really winning here?
Kitchen Gear I Swear By
COPPER-BOTTOMED MIXING BOWL FROM 1973 ★★★★★
My grandmother’s mixing bowl that survived three kitchen fires and a tornado.
I’m convinced it adds flavor through decades-absorbed kitchen memories.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DK7LGMG
DOG-SHAPED COOKIE CUTTERS WITH COMFORT GRIP ★★★★★
These should be hand-washed upside down while humming, or they rust immediately.
I once used these to cut shapes in my sandwiches during a breakup phase.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NVZ6Q29
When You Feel Like Switching It Up
If your pup gets bored easily (like my Barker, who once pretended not to recognize me when I changed my hairstyle), try these variations:
- Substitute mashed banana for honey and add a sprinkle of turmeric for what I call “Tropical Barkfest” treats. They turn slightly neon yellow which freaked out my neighbor’s Pomeranian in what became known as The Yellow Treat Incident of 2022.
- For dogs with grain sensitivities, replace the flour with chickpea flour and add an extra egg. Warning: these smell like feet while baking but dogs go absolutely bananas for them. My sister-in-law thought I was cooking socks the first time I made this variation.
- Winter Holiday Special: Add a tiny bit of pureed pumpkin and a pinch of ginger to the Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies base recipe. My uncle’s basset hound ate seventeen of these and then refused to move for two days.
The Question Everyone Asks
Q: Why do my dog treats always turn out hard as rocks when everyone else’s look soft and chewy?
A: You’re suffering from what I call “oven enthusiasm”—basically, you’re baking at the temperature the recipe calls for rather than accounting for your specific oven’s personality disorders. My oven runs 15 degrees hot on the left side and 10 degrees cool on the right (I’ve mapped it extensively during an insomnia episode). For softer Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, try reducing temperature by 25 degrees and removing them when they’re still slightly underdone in the center—they’ll firm up while cooling without turning into dental hazards.
Final Woofs
So there you have it—my somewhat neurotic approach to Honey & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies: Easy Homemade Dog Treats that will make your furry friend think you’ve finally recognized their superiority in the household hierarchy. Will these treats fix your dog’s weird habit of staring at the wall for hours? Probably not. But will they make your pup do that adorable head-tilt thing when they hear the treat jar open? Almost certainly.
What if we all just admitted that sometimes we taste-test the dog treats ourselves? No? Just me then?
I’m currently experimenting with a fish and sweet potato variation that has turned my kitchen into what visitors describe as “an unfortunate seaside experience,” so stay tuned for that disaster—I mean recipe.
Remember, the path to your dog’s heart runs through these treats, and possibly through your carpet if you don’t monitor their intake. Bake responsibly!
~Chef Bark-tholomew (as seen losing spectacularly in the 2021 Canine Cuisine Showdown where my “Pupper Pâté” was described as “conceptually unsettling”)
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