Homemade Birthday Treats for Dogs

If you want to put on a great birthday party for your furry friend, there’s nothing better than some delicious homemade dog birthday treats. Homemade dog treats are the perfect way to give your dog a chance to experience new and interesting flavors while also ensuring they can enjoy the treats safely. 

Let’s go over three of the best recipes for homemade birthday dog treats, and three great premade Dog Bakery alternatives!

1. Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Source: The Cookie Rookie

First up are these decadent peanut butter dog treats, courtesy of The Cookie Rookie! Combining a rich peanut butter cookie with an equally rich peanut butter and honey icing, these treats are a delicious and healthy way for your pup to enjoy some of the best flavors human food has to offer. Needless to say, they’re sure to make your pup’s birthday party a smashing success!

Ingredients

Treats

• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup peanut butter (No sweeteners, especially not xylitol)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons honey

Frosting

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• 3-4 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour and egg in a mixing bowl. Then, add the honey, peanut butter, and water, mixing until a firm, sticky dough is formed.
3. Roll out the dough to about ½ an inch thick on a lightly floured surface, then use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut out the cookies.
4. Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely.
5. While the cookies are cooling, start on the frosting by combining the peanut butter and honey in a small bowl. Microwave the mixture for 15 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted.
6. Add the melted peanut butter mixture to the cornstarch and stir until combined, then add the water a tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth, frosting-like consistency.
7. Spread the frosting evenly across the cooled cookies and serve!

Alternative: Mutter Butter Cookies

Source: The Dog Bakery

If you don’t have time to prepare homemade dog treats for birthday celebrations, our Mutter Butter cookies are an excellent alternative! They look and taste exactly like the peanut butter cookies humans know and love, but with carefully-picked ingredients to ensure that your furry friend can enjoy them too! They contain no chemicals, and though that means no preservatives, your pup will make sure that’s not a problem. Pick up a batch and let your dog dig in!

2. Homemade Carrot Cake Dog Treats

Source: BellyFull

A dog-friendly riff on the classic human dessert, these carrot cake treats for dogs from BellyFull are incredibly easy to make, and you can probably find everything you need already laying around the house. The recipe is designed to bring out the natural sweetness of the carrots, while nut butter and applesauce add substance for a rich, satisfying dog birthday treat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain, unsweetened, all-natural applesauce
• ¼ cup plain, all-natural plain nut butter like peanut or almond butter (Without xylitol)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 cups oat flour, plus an additional ½ cup if needed
• 1 cup peeled and grated carrots
• ½ cup natural, unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Use a handheld electric mixer to blend the applesauce, almond butter, and eggs together until combined.
3. Add the oat flour, carrots, and coconut flakes and blend until a dough starts to form. The texture should be tacky but not crumbly. Add a bit of extra water if it’s too crumbly or add a bit of extra flour if it’s too sticky.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until the dough is fully formed.
5. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough to a thickness of ½ an inch.
6. Use a dog bone-shaped cookie cutter to cut the treats out, then move them to the lined baking sheet.
7. Bake the treats until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
8. Allow the treats to cool completely and serve!

Alternative: Fresh Baked Carrot Cake

Source: The Dog Bakery 

Of course, if you need an even easier option, we’ve got you covered! Our carrot cake is an excellent choice for birthday parties and daily treating alike! Aside from being a delicious, special treat for your pup, it’s made from healthy, all-natural ingredients that will allow your pup to indulge themselves without any of the junk-food chemicals, cheap fillers, and artificial flavors you see in most store-bought dog treats. Essentially, these treats give you the best of both worlds, with homemade quality but store-bought convenience, making them one of the best dog treat options you can find. 

3. Homemade Dog Donuts

Source: If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen

This recipe from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen is made to replicate a staple of sugary treats for humans: cake donuts. With a dense, moist texture and a decadent sweetness from the bananas and honey, these dog donuts are the best alternative to the sugary, fatty, deep-fried human equivalent, allowing your pup to enjoy the classic human dessert without any stomach issues or sweetness overload. They’re extremely simple, and can be made from simple household ingredients, so feel free to give them a shot! Your pup is sure to enjoy them, and honestly, you might too!

Ingredients

Donuts

• 2 large mashed bananas
• ¼ cup all-natural creamy peanut butter (No xylitol)
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 large room-temperature egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup all-natural creamy peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 6-cup donut pans.
2. Mix the mashed bananas, peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Finally, add the flour and baking soda and mix until well combined.
3. Evenly pour the batter into the donut tins and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. In the meantime, start preparing the frosting.
4. To prepare the frosting, mix the Greek yogurt and peanut butter in a bowl until well combined and smooth. Spread the frosting over the tops of the cooled donuts and serve!

Alternative: Crunchy Baked Donuts

Source: The Dog Bakery

Of course, The Dog Bakery also has premade dog donuts available that are every bit as tasty as the homemade alternative! They’re made with unique flavors that you wouldn’t expect from a donut, but dogs can’t get enough of them! Combining rich, savory cheese, crunchy peanut bits, and an indulgent carob glaze, these crunchy baked donuts feature a perfect combination of flavors that will make your pup’s birthday party an absolute blast!

Looking for more great recipe inspiration and healthy premade dog treats? Visit our blog at The Dog Bakery today!

Rocky Kanaka

Rocky Kanaka is an entrepreneur, pet rescue advocate and dog dad to a rescue boxer named Flip, a blind Cane Corso called Kobe, and a terrier mix named Zoey. He’s also a pet chef and owner of The Dog Bakery, which specializes in dog birthday cakes and fresh baked dog treats. His three dogs can’t get enough of the dog cakes and treats!

Lorna Ladd

Lorna Paxton Ladd is a passionate dog lover and enthusiast of The Dog Bakery. She loves spoiling her 3 rescue dogs with dog cakes and jerky. A 15 year veteran in the pet industry, her aim is to educate pet parents on the best recipes, products, tips and tricks to optimize the human/canine bond. Her favorite product at The Dog Bakery are the customizable dog birthday cakes.