Pumpkin Apple Doggie Mint Treats
Freshen your dog’s breath with these homemade dog treats. It’s easy, healthy and cheap. It’s a win-win!
I’m all about homemade dog treats. It’s quick, easy, and you know exactly what’s going into your pup’s treats. But if these treats also double as a breath mint, I am all in.
Now these treats have a pumpkin-apple base. Pumpkin is a nutrition powerhouse, loaded with fiber, and it’s good for both constipation and diarrhea. Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins A and C, omega-3 and -6, antioxidants, flavonoids and polyphenols.
I honestly don’t know what half of that is but it’s all good. Promise.
And then you have your parsley and mint ingredients – the goodies that will freshen your pup’s breath instantly.
Now you can cut out bones, hearts, or any other shape you desire, like a corgi shape. Yes, I actually do own a corgi cookie cutter. It’s the absolute best.
Either way, your pups will be licking their lips all day long like Butters here!
Pumpkin Apple Doggie Mint Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, or more, as needed
- 1 apple, grated
- ½ cup mint leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree and eggs on medium-high until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups flour at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky. Add apple, mint and parsley, beating just until incorporated.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Place into oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.*
- Let cool completely.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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style=”text-align: center;”>Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian regarding possible allergies your dog may have.
No review yet, but have a question.. I’m assuming the dough can be put into silicone bone trays. But I’m wondering about how long to bake them? Maybe until top is golden brown?
My dogs love these treats! I have so much fresh mint growing in the garden I’m glad I could put it to good use!! Recipe was easy to follow, I needed to bake them a little longer due to being in high altitude.
These are great! My kids and husband ate them up so quickly. Defiantly a family recipe I will start to bring to family dinners 🙂
Not a review, but rather a question. How many treats does this make?
My apologies…I have no apples. Can I leave them out and maybe add some extra water? Can I use chocolate mint instead of peppermint?
Amy, As the owner of a dog that had chocolate poisoning, please do not use chocolate in anything you feed your dogs. Chocolate is toxic to dogs because it contains substances known as methylxanthines, specifically caffeine and theobromine.
Chocolate mint is a plant, not actual chocolate. LOL
Quick question, would you be able to make this with a hand mixer?
Sure! 🙂
little hard to make with an old electric mixer, but I soldiered on and they turned out great, my pooch loved them will have to invest in a better electric mixer for next time, thank you for the recipe, he loved them so much, even learnt to shake to get one
How should these be stored?
I prefer to store in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life. However, methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
What size bone cookie cutter did you use? And how did you get your dog’s name on them?
Sosie, I used a medium cookie cutter. It is about 3.5 inches long. You can find personalized cookie cutters on Etsy. 🙂
Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe?
Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I got a question in reading some of the reviews of the minty fresh dog biscuits. Some people were referring to two kinds of parsley I’ve never heard of spring parsley. Up where I live in Canada & I even work in the Produce Dept we sell normal parsley & Itailian parsley unless there referring Itailian parsley as spring parsley?
My Golden & German Sheperd just love those minty fresh biscuits. Even though they really didn’t have bad breath to begin with. It must take couple before there breath are minty fresh. I only make dog recipes off the net now no more store bought treats. The company’s just put to many preservatives in them just so they can have a longer shelf life.
Mason & Kendall approve these treats and give it 5 stars out of 5
I was excited to make these but disappointed in the results. Gummy and soft. Extended baking time did nothing to make them crunchier. I agree, eith a previous reviewer, too time consuming for something that molds in days
if you dehydrate them , they will last much longer.
Ehhhh I love this recipe I had fun making them. But I’m not sure if I made them correctly. I’ve never made pumpkin anything or used whole flour so idk. The biscuit are chewy inside, did I make them too thick? Did I mess up at some point? I baked them for 20 min then 5 more then 5 more and they are still chewy is that how they are supposed to be?? Lol help
Yes, they are supposed to be chewy! 🙂
We make these for our Italian greyhounds all the time! The love them, they demand them at cookie time!! We make a double batch roll them thin one a cookie sheet and bake then cut them into very small squares while they are still warm. I store them in snack size baggies in the freezer and pull them out one at a time to the fridge. It’s a.must have in our house!!
Probably a stupid question, but could you substitute chick pea flour for a grain free alternative?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
My dog has egg and wheat allergies so I am used to making substitutions. I thought i would share. You can use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce per egg or what I did for these cookies. I used 1 tablespoon of ground hemp seed mixed with 3 tablespoon of water per egg (you can use hemp, chia or flax seeds. They all need to be ground up. Great health benefits). Let sit and soak. Then I substituted the wheat flour with 2 cups of fine oat flour, 3/4 cup of course ground whole oats, and 1/4 cup of steel cut oats.
Has anyone tried making these with an egg substitute? My fur baby is severely allergic to anything having to do with poultry.
Could I use applesauce instead of the grated apple?
Yes! But applesauce can contain more sugar than a plain apple, so it’s best to look for organic, sugar-free brands without preservatives or added coloring.
I’m so happy to finally find a recipe for dog treats that doesn’t involve peanut butter or bananas. My dog despises them and I don’t feel comfortable feeding him store bought treats. Definitely gonna try this recipe this weekend. Thank you so much!
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour?
Yes, the recipe will work with all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour has a little more nutritional value, but the recipe will turn out just fine.
Your pups are soooooo cute. My dogs adore your pumpkin peanut butter treats and I just knew they would love these. My mini doxie would eat them all day if he could and my lovable rescue dog loves them too. I have to keep a can of pumpkin on hand just to make dog treats.
Do you think spelt or some of the other ancient grains would work?
BTW – I love your videos. It’s taking me a while to write this post because I keep watching them. Could you substitute ricotta for the cottage cheese in the protein waffles?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
made so many . how long can they be stored for and how is the best way of storing them
I prefer to store in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life. However, methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
I dont have any mint leaves or fresh parsley. Just mint extract and dried parsley. I prefer to use things in my pantry, but would I be able to substitute these?
I have actually never given my pup mint extract so I cannot really answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
No Mint Extract for Animals! It contains alcohol!
Can you cook your own pumpkin and use it mashed instead of purée.
Yes, absolutely.
Could I replace the apple with a different fruit or ingredient? One of my best friends is highly allergic to apples, so I don’t much keep them in the house. Also she is planning to get a dog soom so I’d love to be able to share treats I bake with her as well.
Amber, you can try this recipe instead:
https://damndelicious.net/2015/01/07/homemade-peanut-butter-dog-treats/
There’s no apple in it! 🙂
I made this recipe and they were loaded with mold after only 4 days “???”
How did you store these? I prefer to store mine in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life.
This sounds great and I’m going to try it this week for me dogs! A heads-up though, while apples are good for dogs, the seeds are poisonous so just be careful that none make it into the treats (or onto the floor)! Thanks for the fabulous looking recipe!!
Do you think they would be OK for cats?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty. It is best that you consult with your veterinarian.
Hey there!
I recently tried out this recipe and the treats turned out wonderfully! My dog LOVES them and I can feel good about giving them to her. 🙂
I shared your recipe on my own blog, giving a link to your page of course. I hope that’s okay?!
Thanks for sharing!
Kas
Afellowzebra.com
Yes, of course! 🙂
Very cute , great site and thanks for the recipe. I like adding fresh ground herbs to my dog’s food. Looking forward to baking these for an occasional treat, but without the wheat. It sound like you are careful about what you feed your dog so I wanted to share some information(ignore if you know this already. ; ) ). My dog’s DVMs from years of research and practice believe that that wheat(gluten) and other grains like corn, barley and rye are damaging to a healthy dog’s digestive system(gut) over the years in addition a high carbohydrate diet. Sadly most of the grains are now also GMO which makes them even harder to digest. Still, I really am thankful for this great sounding recipe! I’m sharing because after 15 years of learning about canine nutrition, if you weren’t aware, I thought you might want look into the canine/wheat/gluten relationship.
If you lower the oven temp and extend cook time (I like 275 for about an hour on treats) it will help “dry” them out which makes a little more crunch as well as extending the life. Always put in the fridge after a few days though.
I just made these for our Gread Dane and Corgi. They love them! Add a tbsp of honey and I’d eat them myself. My hubby offered our Dane a piece of raw chicken and she turned her nose up at it but took another cookie.
Amazing recipe and the personalized cookie cutter is just too cute!
I wanted to start introducing parsley in my dogs diet and have been reading on it.
Just learned today that there are 2 different types of parsley – parsley and spring parsley.
I’m reading that spring parsley is toxic for dogs. Do you have any knowledge in the different types of parsley?
Thanks in advance!
I have read that spring parsley is toxic to dogs due to high levels of furanocoumerin, which can cause photosensitisation and ocular toxicity. You can read more about it here. Hope that helps!
All your photos are gorgeous but that one of your fur babies licking their chops and eyeing the bowl of treats is just TOO much. I’m about to make a batch of these for my Zelda girl 🙂
Sorry, find them @ Amazon if you want them at half the price!
You can find these and other cookie cutters at half the price listed here!
Hi, I made these last week. My dogs loved them. One thing I’m concerned about is if I cooked them long enough. They were still somewhat soft, not fully crunchy.
I stored them in Tupperware dishes. I opened the second container yesterday, 6 days after making gem, and they had started molding.
Do they need to be crunchy or still soft when they come out of the oven?
Thank you.
Dale
For a more crunchy treat, you can extend cooking time as needed.
made so many . how long can they be stored for and how is the best way of storing them
You can store these in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life as needed. But as always, please use your best judgment.
They look like something my dogs would love. The family is starting to complain that the baking kick I’ve been on is making them fat, and doggie treats will be a nice change of pace. Question: do you peel the apple before grating it?
It’s completely up to you (and your dog’s preference). 🙂
I can’t wait until my kitchen is finished so I can make these, but how do you store them? They sound like they’d go bad quickly
I prefer to store them in an airtight-container in the fridge to extend shelf life. But as always, please use your best judgment.
These turned out with a hard chewy texture. Not crumbly like traditional dog biscuits. Did I do something wrong? 3 cups of flour was difficult to blend in. I’m not much of a baker so not sure what went wrong.
Perhaps they were over-baked?
Our pug and German Shepherd loved these treats! And they definitely helped with their doggie breath. Two minor challenges: prep time for me was much, much longer than 25 minutes (close to an hour), but I’m sure it would be easier next time. Also, I wish that proper storage directions had been included. We left them in a ziploc baggie, but they went bad after 3 days so it was a lot of work for most of them to go bad. Bottom line is that it may be best to refrigerate them.
Love the doggie treat suggestion. Will definitely try. Please tell me the breeds of your dogs.
They are both Pembroke Welsh Corgis.
Oh man, my boyfriend’s dog has the worst breath. I hope these do the trick!
These are terrific! Can’t wait to make them for my dog. I’m just wondering how long these last? And have you tried freezing them? I’m lazy, so I like cooking a couple of batches at one time. 🙂
Yes, you can store these in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life as needed. But as always, please use your best judgment.
Aww, What well behaved puppies to pose for a picture with a big bowl of treats right in front of them.
I think our corgi might be able to manage that but there would be a big puddle of drool on the floor, lol.
Looking forward to making these.
Love seeing pics of your pups!!! My dogs love pumpkin! I’ll give them a spoonful of canned organic pumpkin with their meals. They would love these treats (which are too cute)!!
Hi! Great idea, so I will attempt this on the weekend 🙂 My dog is starting have some constipation issues and a very bad breath from the fish based food we started feeding him to prevent the constipation, so this couldn’t have come at a better time 🙂
How many cookies a day do you feed your dog? I know the size varies, but an approximate number would help…
Thanks!
We feed about 2-3 per day.
I have a 3lb Yorkie that has stomach issues. Do you think I could use rice flour in place of wheat?
Yes, absolutely.
oh my goodness, could your pups be any cuter? love the personalization on the treats, what did you use?
We purchased personalized cookie cutters from here.