Gluten Free Dog Biscuits

Gluten Free Dog Biscuits. Yes, everyone at our house gets gluten free baked goodies. I can't touch regular flour anymore without getting hives plus I have one dog that has a gluten allergy. How do I know he has a gluten allergy? He lost ALL of his hair (he ended up looking like a Chinese Crested dog), was irritable, itchy and grouchy. We had him tested for just about everything and all the blood work came back normal. Then I decided to put him on a gluten free diet. Within 6 weeks he was feeling much better, less itchy and his beautiful hair grew back. That was over a year ago. He now is a happy little dog with a beautiful silky coat! (I also have another dog that is allergic to cheese so I don't add cheese to my biscuits but you can add it if you prefer). If your dog does not have a gluten allergy then feel free to use regular or whole wheat flour. I use whatever gluten free flour I have on hand....sometimes it is a combination of different gluten free flours I want to use up. It will all work just fine. This dog biscuit recipe isn't as finicky as normal human baked gluten free treats so you don't have to use a specific gluten free flour. It is a good way for me to use up flours I don't use often or ones I don't like much! I am picky when it comes to gluten free flour blends in my baked goods. You can also make your own rice flour by grinding either brown or white rice in your blender until a fine powder. You might want to to this in small batches because it can over heat your blender. You can also grind up your oats for a fine powder if you prefer.

Gluten free dog biscuits are difficult to find and very expensive. I have 3 dogs that love treats. It gets rather pricey to purchase enough for all 3 dogs. They act like little kids...if one gets something different....they pout. Needless to say...they all get the gluten free diet. Nina (my youngest dog) is by far the pickiest of them. She only likes certain flavors and they have to meet her high standards. If they taste "gluten free" or don't have enough flavor then she WON'T eat them! I tried a lot of different recipes and she snubbed them all (even the store bought ones) until I came up with these 3 recipes that she LOVES! My dogs really like it if I make them biscuits with tuna but I can't handle the smell of them so I avoid making them most of the time! ;)

Here is the first one: (this is my dogs' favorite biscuit recipe)

Meat & Veggie Dog Biscuits:

• 1 1/2 cups broth (I use left over broth from cooking if possible. I include any little bit of fat, seasonings and little tiny meat scraps. Canned broth works fine too but it isn't usually as flavorful).
• 1 tbs. paprika
• 1 tbs. parsley or basil
• 1 cup cooked rice (I use left over rice if I have any, otherwise I just use instant rice since it takes less time to cook)
• 1-2 tbs. powdered beef or chicken bullion (make sure it is labeled gluten free! I used Mazola brand that I found at the Mexican market which was labeled gluten free). 
• 2 1/2 cups of gluten free flour (any gluten free flour will work. I have tried a different variety of them and since these don't need to rise like regular baked goods, any of them will work. I use whatever I have on hand or whatever is on sale. Today, I used 2 cups of brown rice flour + 1/2 cup of gluten free oats). If your dog does not have a gluten allergy, you can use regular flour!
• 1 cup finely chopped or pureed cooked vegetables (I used some leftover broccoli, cauliflower, green bean & carrot mixed veggie blend that we had leftover from dinner last night.  If I have any left over meat scraps or leftover lunch meat then I will chop them up real fine and toss them into the mix also. If I have any bacon grease or bacon bits...I have been known to add it for some extra flavor. I did not add bacon today since I didn't have any on hand. (poor doggies!)

Mix all ingredients together. If you have a heavy duty mixer (I used my kitchen-aid mixer today) then use it. Otherwise, use your hands to mix it up. The batter will be thick and could break your regular hand mixer. I am speaking from experience! If it is too dry then add a splash of water or more broth. If it is too moist then add a little more gluten free flour. You don't have to mix it perfect. Just mix  it until you can spread it out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Batter should be similar to thick brownie dough. I don't roll it out and cut it into shapes at this point. To get a nice crispy dog biscuit, I bake them twice like you do a biscotti type cookie. It will keep them from molding and give you a crisp dog biscuit without burning them. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. (Note: I did not cut them into shapes yet! I do it before I bake them the 2nd time!) Turn oven off but let the biscuits cool in the oven. I usually do this in the evening and let them cool overnight in the oven. I pull the parchment paper with the partially baked dough (the texture will be like a soft cookie at this point) and cut out my shapes or just cut them into squares using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Then I toss them into a 275 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Let them cool completely and they should be nice & crunchy. If for any reason they are not crunchy after cool...put them back into the oven at 275 degrees for additional 10-15 minutes. Let them cool completely and make sure they are crunchy before storing so they don't mold.
 
Peanut Butter Biscuits

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour or gluten free oats (or combination). I used buckwheat flour today because I had some leftover and I wanted to use it up. Buckwheat is gluten free even though it has the name "wheat" in it. I have used rice flour, oats or a combination gluten free blend and they have all worked just fine. I have also used Maseca brand gluten free corn flour. My dogs don't have an allergy to corn so I  have used it without issues. If your dog does not have a gluten allergy, you can use regular flour!
• 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter (I like to use crunchy just because it adds texture)
• 1 tbs. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
• enough water or broth to get a brownie like texture dough (I used about 1/3 cup today but it varies depending on which type flour you use)

Mix all ingredients together. If you have a heavy duty mixer (I used my kitchen-aid mixer today) then use it. Otherwise, use your hands to mix it up. The batter will be thick and could break your regular hand mixer. I am speaking from experience! If it is too dry then add a splash of water or more broth. If it is too moist then add a little more gluten free flour. You don't have to mix it perfect. Just mix  it until you can spread it out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Batter should be similar to thick brownie dough. I don't roll it out and cut it into shapes at this point. To get a nice crispy dog biscuit, I bake them twice like you do a biscotti type cookie. It will keep them from molding and give you a crisp dog biscuit without burning them. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. (Note: I did not cut them into shapes yet! I do it before I bake them the 2nd time!) Turn oven off but let the biscuits cool in the oven. I usually do this in the evening and let them cool overnight in the oven. I pull the parchment paper with the partially baked dough (the texture will be like a soft cookie at this point) and cut out my shapes or just cut them into squares using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Then I toss them into a 275 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Let them cool completely and they should be nice & crunchy. If for any reason they are not crunchy after cool...put them back into the oven at 275 degrees for additional 10-15 minutes. Let them cool completely and make sure they are crunchy before storing so they don't mold.


Pumpkin Biscuits:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour or gluten free oats (any type will work. I used rice flour today)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree (or any squash puree)
• 1 tbs. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional but my dogs like it better with this spice & it sure makes the house smell great!)
• 1 cup finely chopped veggies or apples (I usually use either mixed vegetables, carrots or apples. (Avoid raisins or grapes because they are not healthy for your pet!)
• enough fluid (water or broth) to get a brownie dough like consistency. 

 Mix all ingredients together. If you have a heavy duty mixer (I used my kitchen-aid mixer today) then use it. Otherwise, use your hands to mix it up. The batter will be thick and could break your regular hand mixer. I am speaking from experience! If it is too dry then add a splash of water or more broth. If it is too moist then add a little more gluten free flour. You don't have to mix it perfect. Just mix  it until you can spread it out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Batter should be similar to thick brownie dough. I don't roll it out and cut it into shapes at this point. To get a nice crispy dog biscuit, I bake them twice like you do a biscotti type cookie. It will keep them from molding and give you a crisp dog biscuit without burning them. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. (Note: I did not cut them into shapes yet! I do it before I bake them the 2nd time!) Turn oven off but let the biscuits cool in the oven. I usually do this in the evening and let them cool overnight in the oven. I pull the parchment paper with the partially baked dough (the texture will be like a soft cookie at this point) and cut out my shapes or just cut them into squares using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Then I toss them into a 275 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Let them cool completely and they should be nice & crunchy. If for any reason they are not crunchy after cool...put them back into the oven at 275 degrees for additional 10-15 minutes. Let them cool completely and make sure they are crunchy before storing so they don't mold.

Mmmmm. I love mommy's homemade gluten free biscuits. They don't taste like cardboard! :) I am the picky eater! I approve of these recipes!

This is my dog Rico (he has gluten allergy) when he first started losing his hair. We took him multiple times to the vet for blood work and no one could figure out what was wrong with him. He was miserable. Every test came back normal.

This is Rico at his worst. He lost almost all his hair, he was pink, itchy and irritable (not to mention...hairless!)

This is Rico on a gluten free diet. His hair has grown back silky and full, no itchy skin and much happier!

Taste testing the biscuits! Yummy!

These are the meat & veggie version

Up close view of the meat & veggie version. You can see how crisp they look

Here are the peanut butter version that I got lazy and just cut into squares. My dogs actually prefer the square shape because I think they size is easier to manage. Besides, they expect two treats in the morning before work and smaller ones last longer!

Here is a small jar as a gift for my new grand puppy!

You can see the rich, golden peanut butter color.

I like to gift them up as Christmas gifts for my neighbors with dogs. I put in a clear cellophane party bag and either tie with curly ribbon, string or just close with a colored clothes pin. I usually attach a note with the flavor of the biscuits or include the recipe...so dog parents know what ingredients are in the biscuits in case their dog has allergies.

Here is a look at the pumpkin flavored biscuits

I hope you like the easy recipe for home made gluten free dog biscuits. I will say that your house will smell wonderful. My hubby thought I was making a beef pot roast or pot pie yesterday when the meat & veggie biscuits were baking and my neighbor stopped over today and asked what I was cooking because it smelled awesome. Hahahaha! Dog biscuits! Yes, all of these smell incredible while baking and I guess you could eat them if you wanted. There isn't any preservatives in them. They may not taste like your sweet biscotti but you could technically eat them if you wanted! :) I know a lot of people add eggs or milk to their biscuits but I didn't see any reason to add them and decided to just keep the recipe simple. You can substitute items to customize the recipe. The recipe is really flexible and is just a basic recipe that you can substitute with items you have on hand.

Enjoy!
Tanja
Gluten Free Casually