Beef and Cheddar Dog Biscuits {Happy 5th Birthday, Einstein!}
This past Saturday my golden retriever, Einstein, celebrated his 5th birthday. And boy, did he do it in style. Doing it in style in dog-speak means gorging on as many treats as you possibly can before passing out in a treat-coma. It helps, as a dog, to have an aunt that spoils you with extra treats on your birthday. He surely went to sleep a very happy, very well-fed, and very loved dog. As I do every year for his birthday, I whipped up a little something special in the kitchen for him. I always like to find something different and doggie-edible that I think he’ll enjoy. Sometimes it’s cake, sometimes cupcakes, and other times (including this year), it’s a dog-friendly treat. In the case of treats, it’s the gift that keeps on giving, since he can enjoy them for weeks after his birthday has passed. I have no doubt that he would have much rather eaten all of them, in one scarfing, yesterday ;-)
This is how the birthday boy spent part of his day while I was in the kitchen baking for him – relishing the second small snowfall of the season:
I would say he was relaxing while I was inside toiling away, but really, these homemade dog treats couldn’t be easier to make. After letting the oats soak for 10 minutes, you mix the rest of the ingredients together, dump out the dough, knead it for a minute or so, and then roll it out and cut away! You can cut them into whatever shapes you’d like, but since I have a dog bone cookie cutter I couldn’t think of a better reason for using it! (This cookie cutter is 4 inches across.)
Once the treats were baked and cooled Einstein had to endure watching me taking photos before he got one, which I suppose could be considered cruel and unusual punishment, but he was a good sport about it. At least I think he was…
“Seriously, whyyyyyy do you have to take pictures?!” (sad, pleading)
“Ahem, you are STILL taking pictures… I can SEE you!” (general annoyance at this point)
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“Ah yes, much better. Give me that treat!” (very excited and happy)
Once you are done letting your pup have his treat (or multiple treats if he’s a particularly greedy birthday boy), simply store them in your favorite treat jar so he can enjoy them in the coming days and weeks. (You could also store these in a Ziploc bag, and I imagine that they would freeze well too.)
I hope your favorite furry friend enjoys these as much as Einstein did!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of him over the last year….
And finally, he is definitely my buddy in the kitchen :)
Happy Birthday buddy! You rock!
One year ago: Apple & Cheddar Pupcakes for Einstein’s 4th Birthday!
Two years ago: Doggie Birthday Cake
Four years ago: Happy 1st Birthday Einstein!
Beef and Cheddar Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup (81 g) rolled oats
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) unsalted butter, about 5 and 1/3 tablespoons, cut into pieces
- 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
- ¾ cup (119.25 g) cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
- ½ cup (122 g) milk
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 cups (360 g) whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats; set aside.
- In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the oats and butter. Stir briefly and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Add the cornmeal, sugar, beef bouillon, milk, cheese, and egg to the bowl; mix well. Stir in the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, until a stiff dough as formed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, adding additional flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
- Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough out with a rolling pin to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter and space evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the remaining dough scraps and continue cutting until all the dough as been used.
- Bake 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Thanks for info…God Bless
Is there a way to use molds for this?
Hi Virginia, I don’t see why not!
Hi do I add beef bouillon granules dry to mixture?
I don’t have cornmeal, would I be able to bake this without it?
Hi Corey, You can still make them; I would just use extra flour.
I was wondering how long the dough is good for in the fridge and if it can be frozen? I made a double batch but didn’t have time to use it all. My dogs love these treats. I work at a veterinary clinic and bring them to work to give to our furry visitors too. It’s so much better when you know what goes into your dogs treats and more cost effective.
Hi Nikole, In the fridge probably 2-3 days; in the freezer, I’d say 2 months. So awesome of you to share with your clients! :)
Can i substitute honey for granulated sugar?
Hi Caitlyn, Sure! I don’t see why not!
I’m in Australia. What is cornmeal please?
Cornmeal is a course flour ground from dried corn.
Polenta is a slightly courser form of cornmeal , I’m in Oz and use this all the time as a substitute. I’m going to mill the polenta finer for this recipe.
I know this is a late comment…I can’t wait to make these for my Ruger’s 2nd birthday. My all-time favorite book is Watchers by Dean Koontz. Is your baby named after the awesome dog in that book?
He is! :)
It has always been my understanding (from our vet) that anything with corn, or corn meal (grains in general, so this includes the wheat flour as well) is bad for our dogs. They can not process it like we do, and therefor it will cause diarrhea and other intestinal issues.
On a side note, he is adorable!
I see that you use Beef bullion? doesn’t that contain onions and garlic? if so then you shouldn’t be using that as it’s poisonous to dogs and can be fatal!
People should read up on the ingredients before posting a recipe containing it to the masses.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve made them twice now and my puppy loves them! I just bought some animal-shaped cookie cutters at Ikea too, so right now she is enjoying squirrel-shaped cookies!
A Belated Happy 6th Birthday to Einstein! I was wondering if you had any idea how long these would last? I’m sure they typically get eaten before it becomes an issue, but I was wondering how long they would still be good. Does the cheese in them shorten the shelf life? Sidenote-, I think this is my first comment but I have been following you for over a year and love the blog! My husband is originally from Pittsburgh and I told him that I think you are actually his perfect woman ;) (bakes, loves the Penguins and the Steelers). He even made me secretly stash a cookie with the Steelers logo on it in a box of cookies for a 13 year old boy that like the Ravens. Thanks for any tips on the dog treats!
So funny about the cookies! As for these dog treats, I would say about a week or so. If you make them smaller and overbake them a bit, they’ll last longer than if they are larger and softer.
I’m always looking for easy to make recipes for treats for my 3 dogs. If anyone has some that do not have any corn products (e.g. cornmeal) I would love to see them. Thank you to all for posting here. I enjoy it.
Michelle, these look fabulous! I’m curious if these would work without the beef bouillon. One of my dogs has chronic hepatitis so she’s on a very low-protein diet. I’m always looking for vegetarian treats for her and was thinking I could try these without the beef bouillon. Thoughts?
Hi Ana, Sure, that just gives them the flavor. You could also look for vegetable bouillon and use that!
Sounds yummy, but I try to eliminate corn and wheat from my dogs’ diets…….
Hi,
I just found your blog today as I was looking for a birthday cake recipe for my golden retriver , named Shasha. She look just like your. Einstein looks soooo adorable!!!. I have a question. How you manage his sheding of hair…..
I found it quit difficult to keep the place clean> Shasha shed hair quit a bit!!!!!!
How do you manage? Hope you could help.
Thank U
Hi Shanta, Happy Birthday to Shasha! Unfortunately I have no tips about shedding management, I’ve just learned to accept that I need to vacuum often ;-) The last two times he’s been groomed I’ve had them do an anti-shedding treatment and it seems to help for the first week or two.
Thanks for your input. Here we are currently vaccuming every other day and besides this my husband brushes him down in the morning as well as the evening….I guess we have to learned to accept it too…..right!!!!
Thanks again for you input!!! you have a lovely blog here…keep up!!!!
My dog needs gluten free treats….any suggestions for an alternative to the flour?
Hi Deanna, What about using rice flour?
or chickpea flour (just grind up dried chickpeas)
do we know how long they are good for?
Hi Pauline, They don’t have any preservatives, so I’d say for 3 to 5 days. You could pop them in the freezer to keep them fresh, plus they’ll be extra crunchy for the pups :)
Love this– awesome images, easy to follow, great recipe. Thanks for sharing. would love to feature you in our cookbook that we will be distributing to new subscribers and customers.
these look yummy. I cannot wait to make these for our new puppy!
This post is adorable. I love the “hurry up and give me treats!” photo.
Oh my goodness, he is SO. HANDSOME. I bet him and Riley would get along swimmingly, hehe…he has the same affinity for treats and romps in the snow that it looks like Einstein has. :-)
These are great! My bf just got a dog and he’s been nagging me to bake him something :) thanks for the recipe!
I just found your blog today as I was looking for a birthday cake recipe for my wiener dog, Stanley. He turned 7 years old today and enjoyed the cake with peanut butter icing shaped like a bone. Your Einstein is a beautiful dog and I want to wish him a Happy belated Birthday. I need to make some of these dog treats for Stanley.
Looking forward to trying some of your human recipes.
I love making treats for my two dogs, and Einstein sure looks like he’s in doggy heaven. I do have one small criticism, which is the amount of cheese, which is unnecessary fat.
The recipe I use for puppy cookies uses a meat flavored baby food and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Additionally, the cornmeal isn’t something dogs can really use nutritionally, and some dogs have allergies to it. Up the whole wheat flour instead.
What a great birthday treat! My little guy’s birthday is in a couple weeks, and I know he’d love these!
Happy birthday to Einstein!! What a cutie!! I know Yellowdog will enjoy these homemade dog biscuits… :)
Such a cute post!
These look great. I will definitely try making them for my little girl’s birthday next month – Valentine’s Day! Molly Rose (she’s a mini wire-haired dachsie) will hopefully love them. She’s sitting right now on the chair next to me snacking on your
Goody Goody Bars which I made last week. ( Yummmm.) I get the chocolate topping and she gets the rest. Inbetween smacking her choppers, she wants to wish Einstein a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Love, love, LOVE this one! Happy Birthday to Einstein and what a nice treat! The photos are absolutely precious! BRAVO!