Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

Today is Einstein’s 6th birthday! I can’t believe it’s been nearly six years since I brought this little furball home with me:

Einstein's Homecoming

I’ve made a tradition of baking Einstein a special homemade treat for his birthdays, and have chronicled the recipes here for his 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th birthdays. There are a lot of dog treats that include peanut butter, bananas and cheddar ingredients, which I’m sure is in large part due to the fact that most dogs (Einstein included) would sell a left lung for a lick of peanut butter, a bite of banana, or anything cheese-flavored. I’ve made him treats using all of those ingredients in the past, but wanted to try something new this year, and was so happy to come across the “52 Weeks of Treats” e-book filled with tons of tasty homemade dog treats, which is where I found this sweet potato pretzel recipe for Einstein’s 6th birthday.

Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

I love that this recipe only includes a few ingredients and is extremely easy to throw together. If you don’t feel like going through the process of shaping pretzels, you could just as easily roll out the dough and cut out shapes. I also have included substitutions in the recipe below in case your dog has any specific allergies. The recipe includes directions for the smaller sized pretzels, but I made some larger ones as well for the special occasion :)

Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

Einstein kept a close eye on the baking process and then once the candles were lit, he got extremely interested. He sat still long enough for a few pictures, and then was rewarded for his patience with two of the smaller pretzels.

Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

Happy Birthday, little man! Here’s to another fun-filled year of tennis balls, rawhides, sunshine, naps and lots of playing!

einstein-2012-600

One year ago: Beef and Cheddar Dog Biscuits {Happy 5th Birthday, Einstein!}
Two years ago: Apple & Cheddar Pupcakes for Einstein’s 4th Birthday
Three years ago: Dog Birthday Cake
Five years ago: Happy 1st Birthday, Einstein! {Peanut Butter Banana Doggie Cake}

Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

An easy homemade dog treat recipe with healthy ingredients!
4.34 (3 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sweet potato, about 7 ounces, peeled and diced
  • cups (210 g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place the sweet potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with water and place over high heat and bring to a boil. Ensure that the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife, then remove from heat, drain and allow to cool.
  • Puree the sweet potatoes in a food processor until completely smooth.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and flaxseed meal. Remove about 1 tablespoons of the egg to a separate cup.
  • Add the sweet potato puree and remaining beaten egg to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
  • Dump out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape pretzels by taking a small piece of dough, rolling it into a 10-inch rope, shape into a "U", then twist the ends and fold them back over to create the pretzel shape.
  • Place the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in a wire rack.

Notes

Note: If your dog has allergies, you could certainly adjust this recipe to make it suitable for them. You could replace the whole wheat flour with a rice or almond flour, and the egg with applesauce if need be.
Nutritional values are based on one treat
Calories: 46kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 935IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!