Home > Recipes by Category > Dog Treats > Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats {Happy 6th Birthday, Einstein!}
Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats {Happy 6th Birthday, Einstein!}
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:
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.
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 :)
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.
Happy Birthday, little man! Here’s to another fun-filled year of tennis balls, rawhides, sunshine, naps and lots of playing!
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}
Did you make this recipe?
An easy homemade dog treat recipe with healthy ingredients!
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.
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
Cholesterol: 8mg
Sodium: 7mg
Potassium: 65mg
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 1g
Vitamin A: 935%
Vitamin C: 0.2%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 0.5%
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!! Aww~ Einstein is so cute~ Gonna try this pretzel for my dog.
Hello BEB & Einstein,
I recently read about your pretzel dog cookies in Dog Fancy and am looking forward to making them for my 2 girls.
Could you tell me how long they will keep for?
Thank you !!!
Hi Renee, They will keep for about 3 to 5 days at room temperature (depending on how warm your house is), but you could freeze them for up to 2 months.
Oh, these look great! I will have to make these for Jack!
This is a keeper! I will try these with oatbran flour since I don’t use wheat flour for our two black beauties. Thanks, can’t wait to make a batch! My s-I-l will thank you too. She brings them bagels from a dog bakery in the Twin Cities and they are so expensive. She can make these for a lot less! ;o)
Hi! I just made these today for my girl’s 2nd birthday and they came out great! One question for you though… What is the consistency supposed to be? Mine weren’t exactly hard like a normal dog biscuit, a little softer. Just want to know for next time when I make these. My baby loved these and we just wanted to say thanks!! =)
Hi Melanie, Happy birthday to your pup! These are a little softer, but you could probably dry them out in the oven at a low temperature if you want them to be hard.
Thanks for getting back to me! She loved them just the way they were, just wanted to make sure that I baked them correctly! Thanks again for the great recipe idea and getting back to me!! :)
It took me awhile, but I finally got around to making these pretzel treats.
Just wanted to let you know they were a huge hit with our dog!
Great idea! I can’t wait to make them for my Marley’s 6th birthday next week!
I’ve made these several times and my dogs, my coworker’s dogs, my friend’s dogs, and my neighbor’s dogs love these! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I’ve replaced the potato with pumpkin a couple of times and those are a huge hit too.
Einstein looks so much like my beloved dog and soulmate, Sandi, who I lost 6 years ago. Every time I open this page to make the recipe, my heart fills with joy when I see Einstein’s pictures. Thank you for that too. :)
Aw, I’m so glad the pups have enjoyed these and that the pictures of Einstein brings back happy memories. Dogs are such wonderful souls.
Your Einstein needs to meet my Lucy. Lucy is also a 6 year old pure bred golden retriever whose birthday is May 3rd. One of these days I’ll get ambitious and send you a picture or two of Lucy. My family has started working on me to get a “sister” for Lucy, another golden retriever. This is THE last thing I ever thought I would hear from my mother in her entire life. Growing up I wanted a dog (especially a larger dog, not a little yappy dog) SO badly I couldn’t stand it. But there were NO dogs ever allowed in our family and they would have NEVER allowed a dog to live in the house as Lucy does with me. Well, if I say Lucy and my mother now have sleepovers at her house what does that tell you? Those two are so attached it isn’t funny. Both of my parents call Lucy their “granddoggy” and I guess they’re getting anxious for another one. I also think a young active puppy would be VERY good for Lucy. She’s picked up weight the last year or two and is definitely slowing down with some arthritis. Since it’s just Lucy and I in the household and with my health problems I can’t always take her on long walks during these cold, windy bitter days I’m sure with a little sis to watch she’ll be more active. I brought home my little fur ball who was 8 weeks old on June 28th. She was to come home the next day, my actual birthday but I had a chance to meet the breeder at the vet for her checkup evaluation and they said just go ahead and take her. Shee was my birthday present to myself that year so the timing of her birth worked out perfectly. I wish I could find another pup ready to leave her mom some time in May or June of this year. I could probably be talked into getting Lucy a sister. If anyone knows of any well-bred golden retriever pups being born late spring or early summer this year please email me. I live in the Hagerstown, MD area.
Happy Birthday Einstein! Here’s to many more happy years and lots of treats xx
please do not substitute with Almond Flour as Almonds are toxic for dogs!
I’m so behind on my blog reader … and I missed Einstein’s birthday! What a sweet dog. I obviously love this post. They grow way too fast, don’t they?!
Thanks, Emily! That do grow way, way too fast! I can’t believe that Einstein is already SIX! Makes me sad!
Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! I was googling dog treats when this came up for Einstein! Happy Birthday E! We also raised an Einstein (half golden, half lab) for Canine Companions For Independence. He is now a working service dog. He was named after the character in Watchers by Dean Koontz. Was yours too I wonder?
He’s a cutie!
~Cathy
Hi Cathy, How funny! A number of people have asked me about the Dean Koontz book, but I’ve never read it… just a fun name :)
we’re getting a puppy in less than 2 weeks! I pinned these so I can make him these treats for a speical occassion. awesome!
So cute! Happy Birthday to your pup.
Have to make these for Dante! :)
Happy Birthday Einstein, what a lucky fellow you are. Please have Michelle post more pictures of you. Hope you had a great birthday!
Such a sweet post, Michelle I love the picture of him looking at the treats with candles.
Love this! Sweet Potatoes are everywhere this time of the year in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I have been trying to think of something new to make Gus!
Of course you made him pretzels! Happy birthday to Einstein– can’t believe what a little furball he used to be :D
OMG. Einstein’s baby photo is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! I have to do this for my little baby at home (totally a pup). She is so small… I think I will try freezing some so that when I want to make them fresh I can just throw them on a cookie sheet. Thanks for the recipe!!!
OMG, I love the puppy pic!! Swoon! He is one lucky dog to get scrumptious treats like this :)
Just random note- (and i LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE your blog and Einstein lol)- a LOT of dogs are allergic to grain (and really, it just makes a dog fat to be honest since it provides no nutritional value for a dog). Almond flour would seem like a good substitute, but actually, the high fat content might not go over well with them. And Rice is a grain. So I’d recommend using Tapioca flour, since it’s obviously grain free AND totally allergen free. If your dog/dog is not allergic to potato, then you could obviously use potato flour/potato flakes (as long as they are PLAIN).
Feeding the furkids correctly is best for them and for your wallet when it comes to vet visits and a super long life full of birthday treats ;)
Not trying to be a stickler, I have just been working with animals/dogs for 10 years and really just want people to make well informed decisions since most people don’t think about the food they feed their pets.
Keep up the amazing work!! I looooove this blog.
Awwww! Happy Birthday, Einstein!! My golden retriever, Charlotte, just turned 6 too! Love goldens! Best dogs ever! Can’t wait to make these for her!! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay! Happy Birthday, Einstein!!! My daughter’s bday is January 13th, and we had a dog who layed just like Einstein in the picture next to the cabinet; sometimes he’d even sleep with his back legs up and turned to the wall. The paint on the wall next my bed was scratched off from him sleeping with his feet up and scratching the wall to get comfortable.
Dogs are so great! You two enjoy celebrating !!
Happy Birthday, Einstein! And many thanks to your Mistress, Michelle, for the treat recipe and most definitely for the alternatives because our JR has an allergy to wheat.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EINSTEIN! Love Molly, Gus and Mozi
P.S. He is such a perfect poser, my dogs cannot sit still for more than a second!
Happy birthday, Einstein~ I too, am a lover of Goldens! I have had 3 and there is no better!
Happy B-Day, Einstein. What a cutie. He’s so lucky to be in a loving home with a loving family who spoil him.