Valentine’s Day inspired dog treat recipes

If your Valentine has four legs and drools at the sight of most foods, these V-Day inspired dog treat recipes will show them just how much you love them!

Check out these 5 easy-to-make recipes, and tell us which one your doggo would love most.

What’s extra special is that you could make it a team activity that you bond over too. Just make sure you don’t drop too much on the floor in the process, otherwise there won’t be much left over at the end!

Cranberry kisses

• • 1 cup of whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup of whole rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries (you can substitute raspberries and still achieve that quintessential Valentine’s treat aesthetic!)
  • 8 ounces of mashed sweet potato (pumpkin or squash puree make great substitutes, here!)
  • 4 to 8 fluid ounces of vegetable or chicken stock 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a cookie sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potato and about half of the stock. Add in the flour, oats, and cranberries and combine to form a soft dough. 

If the dough is too dry, add in additional stock until you get a cookie-dough consistency.

Using a spoon, scoop a small mound of dough and shape into a ball in your palm. You’ll place these on your prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until the treats are nice and crunchy!

Allow to cool and store any leftover Valentine’s treat kisses in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Credit: www.royalkennelclub.com

2-ingredient Strawberry yoghurt hearts

• 32g Greek yoghurt
• 3-4 large strawberries finely chopped

Method:

1. Finely chop the strawberries.
2. Add a few pieces of strawberry to each section of a love heart silicone mould, or add them to an ice cube tray.
3. Pour the Greek yoghurt over the finely chopped strawberries and put in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight
4. Once the mixture is frozen, pop them out.
5. Once you have taken out your dog’s allocated portion for that day, transfer the rest into a sandwich bag and place them back into the freezer for next time.

Watermelon love hearts

By far the easiest of the dog treat recipes (given it’s only one ingredient!) but it’s still going to be a drool-inducing one, nonetheless. All you need is:

• 1 watermelon, cut into rounds
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Instructions:

We can’t think of an easier Valentine’s treat idea than this! Simply chill your watermelon, slice into rounds, and then cut out Valentine’s hearts. Make sure to remove the seeds before tossing a few to your doggo.

….Or take it up a notch and make some watermelon heart pupsicles:

• 1 cup of watermelon, cut into small chunks and seeds removed
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened Greek yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon of honey or preferred dog-safe sweetener
• Heart-shaped ice tray

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth, pourable mixture. If your mixture is too thick, add in a bit more yoghurt or water.

Pour the mixture into your ice tray and freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Once the pupcicles are set, this cooling Valentine’s treat is ready to enjoy!

Pumpkin & peanut butter cookies

A treat that’s soft, nutty, and faintly sweet. And, all you need is:

• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (plain, no spices)
• ½ cup 100% peanut butter (xylitol-free only)
• 1 egg
• 2–2½ cups wholemeal flour or oat flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 175°C (fan-forced). Mix pumpkin, peanut butter and egg until smooth and glossy. Gradually add flour until you’ve got a dough that’s soft but rollable. Roll out to about 1cm thick. Cut into shapes (bones, stars…whatever shape they are, they’re guaranteed to be a hit!).

Bake for 18–22 minutes, but shorter if you’re after softer cookies or longer if your doggo loves a crunch!

Cool completely before serving. Dogs have no patience but must wait. What’s a bonus is that these cookies freeze well – for up to 3 months. And they defrost beautifully.

Smooching smoothie bowl

Ingredients

• 4 cup of frozen dog-safe berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are all A-OK)
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 2–3 tbsp coconut water (unsweetened)

Instructions:

If you have a high speed or powerful blender, then whipping up this smoothie is as easy as throwing in all the ingredients and pressing a button.

This berrylicious Valentine’s treat is perfect for older pups who need softer meals to chow down on.

Got to the end of this article and think your furry helper may not be as helpful making dog treat recipes as you think?

For more ideas on how to celebrate the day of love with your loveable pooch, check out our article, 8 Best Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day with Your Dog. And be sure to share your Valentine’s plans and favourite Valentine’s treat in the comments! 

Have plans with a human Valentine, and need someone to look after your furry love? 
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