Fat-Free Pumpkin-Apple Dog Treats

I baked a batch of dog cookies yesterday.  

As soon as I took them out of the oven, Gus popped his head around the corner.  This is his I'm-in-a-cookie-trance face.

Clyde, as usual, positioned himself front and center.  Notice that he is directly in front of the refrigerator.  It's his favorite place to be when I'm cooking, because every time I open the fridge I have to nudge him out of the way.

He has a knack for figuring out how to get attention when I'm focused on something other than him.

I packaged up some of the cookies for a friend's dog, a golden retriever named Jessie, whose birthday is 

today.  Happy 14th Birthday, Jessie!

Today's Playlist

• "Say It Ain't So".......Weezer
• "Why Don't You Get A Job?".....The Offspring
• "The Denial Twist"....The White Stripes
• "You Give Love A Bad Name"....Bon Jovi
• "Sweet Child O' Mine"....Guns N' Roses
• "I Fought The Law"......The Clash

Fat-Free Pumpkin-Apple Dog Treats
Printable Recipe

• 1 can (15-oz.) pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup chopped mint
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and grated

Gather your ingredients.  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop your mint.

Grate your apples.

You may have noticed that I only had one apple in the picture of ingredients.  Oops.  Needed two.

Line two baking sheets with parchment.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the pumpkin,

and the chicken broth.  Mix until combined.

Add the flour,

cornmeal, mint and apples.  I forgot to take pictures of  the mint and the apples.  Oops.  Forgetful me.

Mix until it holds together and forms a dough.

Place the dough onto a piece of parchment which is generously sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking.

No, that is not invisible cornmeal on the parchment. I forgot to sprinkle the cornmeal.  I fixed this error after I took the picture.

See? Cornmeal sprinkled to prevent sticking.  Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 3/8".

Use cookie cutters to cut out the treats.

After you've cut out the treats, gather the scraps that are left and roll them out again, 3/8" thick.

Cut more shapes.  I used a heart the second time around, because I heart my doggies.

Place the treats onto the parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake in your preheated 325-degree oven for approximately 40 to 45 minutes.  The treats should be dry and slightly browned on the bottom when they are done.  When done, turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and allow the treats to cool and dry out as the oven cools down.

Remove the treats from your oven when they are completely cooled.

Treats should be stored in a cool place, in a zip-lock bag (or any airtight container), and they will stay fresh for up to one week.

You can also freeze them.

Hope your doggy friends enjoy these treats!