Candy Cane Dog Treats

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‘Tis the season for giving, and what better way to show your furry friend some holiday cheer than with homemade dog treats?

These dog candy canes are easy to make and use several foods that dogs love.

Plus, they’re festive and fun. Your dog is sure to love this tasty treat!

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How to make candy cane dog treats

Candy cane dog treats have very little in common with traditional candy canes we buy for ourselves. The only thing they have in common is the candy cane shape.

I updated this recipe to have more dog-preferred flavors and to eliminate the use of artificial food coloring. If you prefer the original recipe, it is below the new recipe, towards the bottom of the page.

The new version of candy cane dog treats is designed with dogs in mind. It has some of their favorite foods including peanut butter, pumpkin, and bananas. At least these are some of Luna and Morgan’s favorite foods.

It also does not use artificial food coloring. It has beets and spinach for food coloring instead.

Always consult your veterinarian before giving your dog new foods.

Ingredients for candy cane dog treats

• 3 cups whole wheat flour, divided, plus a little extra
  
• 1 Tbsp warm water
  
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
  
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  
• 1/4 cup beet puree
  
• 1/4 cup mashed banana
  
• 1/3 cup applesauce
  
• 1/3 cup spinach puree
  

Instructions for making homemade candy cane dog treats

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, water, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and beet puree until it forms a soft ball of dough.

In a separate bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups of flour, mashed banana, applesauce, and spinach puree until it forms a soft ball of dough.

If either color of dough is too sticky, just add a little extra flour. You want the dough workable, similar to playdough consistency.

Roll the dough into long strands about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure to roll the beet dough and the spinach dough separately.

Cut the dough into 6 to 8-inch pieces with a pizza cutter or knife. Use smaller pieces for smaller dogs, though these will be more difficult to make look like a candy cane.

Then take one of each color (one beet and one spinach dough) and twist them together.

Place the twisted treats on the baking sheet and shape them into a candy cane shape, or other fun shapes.

Bake for 20 minutes until just they are slightly brown on the bottom. Baking time may vary depending on how big or small you make your candy canes.

Let it cool before serving it to your dog!

Tips

Just like artificial food coloring, natural food coloring does have the potential to stain your hands when working with the dough.

I didn’t have any issue with staining, but if it concerns you, use food-safe gloves when handling the dough.

These can be stored in an airtight container for a few days, or be frozen and taken out as needed. Just let it thaw before giving it to your dog.

Freezing may change the texture, but most dogs won’t mind.

Taste test

I showed the finished candy cane dog treats to both Luna and Morgan.

Both of them were very interested and struggled to sit still for their pictures.

They both ate these so fast that I struggled to get any pictures of them eating their treats.

I think they ate this new version faster than the original recipe.

I will say the original recipe was easier to work with, and it made a prettier candy cane. But based on how fast my dogs gobbled up the new recipe, I think they prefer it over the original one.

Original candy cane dog treats recipe

Here is the original candy cane dog treats recipe.

Ingredients for Candy Cane Dog Treats

• 2 cups wheat flour plus a little extra 
  
• 1 egg
  
• ½ cup mint leaves, chopped (make sure that you don’t use pennyroyal mint as that is toxic to dogs)
  
• ½ cup of warm water
  
• 2 Tbsp Honey (this can be skipped if you need to limit your dog’s sugar intake)
  
• Red and Green food coloring (optional)
  

*A note about mint. While most mint is safe for dogs in small quantities, English pennyroyal mint is toxic to dogs (and humans). Please be sure to check the mint you have before using it.

Directions

In a medium bowl add the wet ingredients, the egg, mint, water, and honey. Mix thoroughly.

Then add the flour. The dough will be thick.

Once it is thoroughly mixed, divide it in half.

Add the red food coloring to one half and the green to the other. I ended up adding 10 drops of green and more of red. You can use fewer but it will be a lighter color and harder to mix in.

Knead the dough until the food coloring is mixed in. I ended up adding more flour as I kneaded it to keep it from getting too sticky.

Once it looks mixed enough, take a small amount of dough and roll it into a “snake.” Do this separately for each color. My youngest child enjoyed helping with this part as it’s basically like playing with play dough.

After you have the “snakes” formed take one of each color and twist them together. Lay them on the cookie sheet and shape them how you want. We did mostly candy canes but also had one circle treat and one straight treat.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. I believe mine took 22 minutes and were slightly browned on the bottom. 

Let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy making either of these tasty treats for your furry friends! They’re sure to bring a smile to any dog’s face this holiday season.

Happy Holidays from my family to yours! 🙂

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Candy Cane Dog Treats

Print

Candy cane dog treats to give your dog a festive treat at Christmas time.

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat flour, divided, plus a little extra
• 1 Tbsp warm water
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup beet puree
• 1/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup spinach puree

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, water, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and beet puree until it forms a soft ball of dough.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups of flour, mashed banana, applesauce, and spinach puree until it forms a soft ball of dough.

If either color of dough is too sticky, just add a little extra flour. You want the dough workable, similar to playdough consistency.

4. Roll the dough into long strands about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure to roll the beet dough and the spinach dough separately.
5. Cut the dough into 6 to 8-inch pieces with a pizza cutter or knife. Use smaller pieces for smaller dogs, though these will be more difficult to make look like a candy cane.
6. Then take one of each color (one beet and one spinach dough) and twist them together.
7. Place the twisted treats on the baking sheet and shape them into a candy cane shape, or other fun shapes.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until just they are slightly brown on the bottom. Baking time may vary depending on how big or small you make your candy canes.
9. Let it cool before serving it to your dog!