Mutt Will Go For These Cookies, Too
When Santa figures out which dogs have been naughty or nice this year, Digger will be a close call.
First there was the chicken incident. When I popped into a bakery for two minutes to pick up bread, my hound heisted the rotisserie chicken from a sea of grocery bags in my van, and was dining on the breast when I caught him. Worse, he was unrepentant.
A week later, he devoured an entire bag of Alpo burger treats left unattended.
But Digger knows that Santa is a softy and even now is cooking up scrumptious treats to stuff in his undeserving stocking.
In fact, Digger already has had a taste of the Banana Mutt Cookies that will be his Christmas gift this year. Usually he’s a picky, protein kind of guy, but the good-for-you cookies were a definite hit.
The recipe is from the gourmet bakers of dogdom, Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff. Their new book, the “Three Dog Bakery Cookbook” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $12), is out just in time for Christmas treat-making.
Recipes are divided into appetizers, entrees, desserts, holiday treats and celebration treats. The Mutther’s Day Puppy Seed Bread, in particular, looks scrumptious.
The book would be a nice gift for the dog lover on your list, but your mutt himself no doubt would prefer the Banana Mutt Cookies. Vets say dogs shouldn’t have too much protein or sweets, and these cookies get high marks on both scores. They’re made with oats, mashed bananas, applesauce and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.
Owners of good dogs may want to pack the treats in a handsome new water bowl and wrap up a couple of rawhide chews for good measure.
Digger, the rogue, is lucky to get anything.
Banana Mutt Cookies
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 2-1/2 bananas)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oats
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup applesauce
Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Press flat with a fork.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers.
Yield: About 20 cookies.