These Peanut Butter Banana Bones doggie snacks are the perfect way to treat your furry friend! They’re made with whole ingredients (that you probably already have laying around your kitchen) and won’t break the bank like the clean eating dog treats at the pet store. They’re even fun to make and a great opportunity to include the kiddos in the kitchen! It’s a total win!
Gather the Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups oats (old fashioned or quick cooking, not instant), divided – a healthful grain that is packed with nutrients and tolerated better than wheat for most furry friends
- 1 ripe banana (mashed) – a perfect healthful sweetener for pups and humans alike. This recipe is even a great way to use up those overripe bananas that plague most kitchen counters. After chunking one too many bananas for getting overripe, I learned that if a banana has passed it’s peak for eating raw, I can just peel it, break it in half or thirds, seal them up in a container and toss them in the freezer for banana recipes like this one, smoothies, etc. When I’m ready to bake Peanut Butter Banana Bones, I just remove the banana from the freezer and microwave for about 30 seconds so it’s soft enough to mash. The freezing even keeps the bananas from browning, so it’s just like using a banana right off of the counter!
- 1 egg – yummy protein for doggos and helps to bind the cookies. Check out that beautiful orange yolk! Fresh eggs from farmer friends are the best!
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter – another great source of protein and healthful fats. But check your peanut butter ingredient label!!! Some peanut butters contain xylitol – an artificial sweeter that can be fatal to dogs. But we wouldn’t want to serve our four legged pals anything artificial anyhow.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted or very soft) – another healthful fat with numerous health benefits for pups. It also helps bind the dough and keep it from sticking.
Make the Dough
Place all of the oats in a blender or food processor. This time I used my Vitamix, but my KitchenAid Food 3.5 Cup Chopper makes quick work of this as well. Just puree the oats until they look like a course flour. Several seconds should do the trick!
Remove about two tablespoons of ground oats and set aside. Add the remaining oats to a medium bowl with all of the other ingredients and mix with a spoon. I love a nice wooden spoon for bringing this dough together into a ball.
Now, sprinkle the remaining ground oats on the counter where you plan to roll the dough. This keeps the dough from sticking to the counter.
Roll the dough with a rolling pin or pat with your hands until it is roughly a generous 1/8th of an inch thick. Thicker cookies are also a tasty hit, but they’ll take longer to bake and may retain more moisture inside. Cookies with more moisture may not keep as long as a crispier cookie. But believe me, your pup has no intentions of keeping these around for very long!
Bake the Cookies
Now for the fun part! Cut out cookies using the cookie cutters of your choice. I used these adorable dog bone cookie cutters that I nabbed at my favorite consignment store in my hometown. What a find! They come in three sizes, so keep in mind that the amount of time you bake your cookies may vary based on the cookie size. I baked mine at 350℉ on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 10 minutes and they were slightly golden and crisped up nicely. I let them cool on the cookie sheets and then stored them in an air tight container until my favorite Beagle, Opie, gobbled them up!
Eat the Cookies!!!
Opie, the best beagle in the whole world, approves of Peanut Butter Banana Bones! But he disagrees with his serving size!
Peanut Butter Banana Bones
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups oats old fashioned or quick, not instant
- 1 ripe/overripe banana
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp peanut butter make sure it doesn't contain xylitol!
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted or very soft
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grind oats in a blender or food processor until they become a course flour.
- Reserve 2 tbsp of ground oats. Place remaining oats and ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Mix with a spoon until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Sprinkle reserved ground oats on the counter or work space where you plan to roll your dough.
- Roll dough (or mash with hands) to a generous ⅛ inch thickness. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies at 350℉ for about 10 minutes. Check cookies frequently as baking times vary based on the size of the cookies. Cookies should be slightly golden when done. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet and then store in a sealed container once completely cool.
