Here Is The Recipe For Our Homemade Banana Carrot Dog Treats

Originally, the inspiration for this week's homemade dog biscuit revolved around a single, very ripe banana. However, moments before creating the recipe, I sliced up some carrots for our fur-kids to munch on. I had a good-sized chunk leftover. There I was. Holding the carrot. Staring at the banana. That's when it happened. I thought, "Why not use both." I pulled the grater from the drawer, grabbed some ingredients from the baking cupboards and I spent the next couple of hours experimenting, mixing, rolling, and baking.

What I ended up with was a gorgeous homemade dog biscuit that smelled incredible and tasted delicious. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about the combination of peanut butter, banana, and carrot being tasty to the human palate,  but it worked.

Yes, we taste test our homemade dog treats. We snack on 'em too. 

Our fur-kids tried the finished product for their afternoon snack and they were a hit! Coco, who typically wants nothing to do with bananas, gobbled these up.

Here's the recipe...

3/4 cup peanut butter  

1 very ripe medium banana

1/3 cup fresh grated carrots

2 cups flour

1/4 cup oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 - 1 cup warm water

The first thing you want to do is mash the banana really well and eliminate the chunks. If you have a small food processor or blender, use that. If not, and I don't, a tiny sprinkle of sugar on the banana will aid in the mashing process.

A word of caution. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, like me, mashed banana isn't something you want to stare at for any length of time. To put it bluntly, it resembles snot. You've been warned.

Once the banana is mashed, add all of the ingredients into a mixer or bowl and mix well. If the dough is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.

After mixing well, the dough should be easy to handle. Not too sticky. Not too dry. I always flour the kitchen counter. Knead the dough a bit. Add a little more flour. You should be able to roll the dough without it sticking. Sprinkle flour as needed.

Roll the dough to the thickness of what you would for a pie crust. You can roll a little thicker for a soft baked treat. Once rolled, use any cookie cutter you want. This dough can be rolled and cut as many times as needed.

The perfect baking time for us is 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Keep in mind that varies depending on the oven you have. Ours is a little older.

When the biscuits are ready to be taken out of the oven, they'll be a little soft and golden brown on the bottom.

Keep in mind that you will not get a hard biscuit just by baking them in the oven.

If you want a hard biscuit, let them sit on plates, or metal cooking trays, for about 24-48 hours in a temperature controlled area of your home. Cool and dry.

Or, you can serve immediately as a softer baked treat. If you want them to stay soft, put them in an airtight container once cooled.

Enjoy and happy baking!