PDSA: How to make dog-friendly gingerbread biscuits

World Biscuit Day – 29^th May, 2023

From delicious cakes to yummy biscuits, homemade goodies always go down a treat. With the cost of living continuing to put households across the UK under more and more pressure, baking your own treats from scratch is a great way to keep the costs down – but it is important not to forget about your four-legged family members!

The vets at the UK’s largest veterinary charity PDSA have revealed the paw-fect dog-friendly recipe for easy-to-make gingerbread biscuits so dig out your mixer, pop on your apron and get your bake on.

Recipe from PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing

You will need:

• 300g flour
• 60g smooth dog safe peanut butter. Be extra careful to make sure your peanut butter doesn’t contain Xylitol (also called Birch sugar), as this is toxic to dogs. Check the ingredients before you start – the higher percentage of peanuts, the better!
• 1 apple, peeled and grated (or very finely chopped if you don’t have a grater!)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (black treacle)
• 120ml water
• 5cm x 4cm gingerbread template or cookie cutters

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 or 180°C (160°C for a fan oven) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. We recommend sifting the flour for a smoother mixture, although this isn’t necessary!
• Once your mixture has formed a dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick.
• Cut out your biscuits and place them on your lined baking tray.
• Cook biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes or until they are golden.
• Let the biscuits cool and voila – your pooch’s treats are ready to enjoy!

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing said: “We’re sure your dog will enjoy this special treat but remember not to give them too many.

“At 5cm x 4cm these biscuits are a decent size and include molasses, so a bit of a sweet treat! We suggest feeding just one biscuit per day for smaller dogs (below 10kg) and two per day for your bigger dogs (above 10kg). These biscuits can be stored in a treat tin and enjoyed for the days following, so no need for your dog to scoff them all at once!

“Treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily food intake, and you’ll need to reduce their normal daily food to account for their gingerbread biscuits – you don’t want your pup to pile on the pounds.

“This recipe does make quite a few, so if you’re planning to make these just for your pooch, we’d recommend reducing the ingredients by half. Or freeze the leftover mixture so it doesn’t go to waste!”