Homemade Vegan Treats You Can Personalize for Your Dog or Puppy

DIY dog treat mix: Sustainable noshes you can personalize for your puppers!

Got 40 seconds? Watch this mini video (with your dog-child!) for inspiration.

The Recipe

Peterra Kitchen Thumbprint Cookies Baking Mix for Dogs--easy-to-make dog treats--pouch front

Peterra Kitchen Vegan Thumbprint Cookies for Dogs

Easy-to-bake plant-based pet treats! USDA organic certified, chef-crafted & climate pawprint-friendly. You can personalize these homemade, vegetarian snacks for your puppers.

1 pouch of 100% vegan dog treat mix= 30 total servings of thumbprint cookies = 30-day supply (when feeding 1 cookie a day!)

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Prep Time 7

Cook Time 13

Total Time 20

Course Treat

Servings 30 thumbprint cookies

Calories 19 kcal

Instructions

PREHEAT oven to 350°F /175°C. Stir vegan dog treat baking mix with 1/2cup + 2 Tbsp water (148ml). Let stand 5 minutes.
ROLL into 30 balls* using1 fully-rounded measuring tsp each (or use #100 cookie scoop) & place on baking sheet. (It's not necessary to grease it or use parchment paper.) Press each with thumb to form thumbprint cookies. (Tip: See our FAQ if you need more guidance.)
BAKE 13 minutes. The cookies will be firm on the outside with a chewy texture. You don’t need to wait for them to rise or turn brown. Cool completely on rack. (Do not serve hot!) Serve as is or fill with faves, like peanut butter.**
STORE in air-tight container up to 1 day at room temp, 1 week in fridge or 6 months in freezer.

Notes

*If you’ve got a small pup — or you prefer smaller cookies — make 60 mini balls instead of 30 balls. Instead of pressing each with your thumb to form thumbprint cookies, press with your pinky finger to form pinky-print cookies. Then bake for just 11 minutes. You can shape the thumbprint cookies or pinky-prints cookies into hearts instead of rounds, too.

Alternatively, before baking, you can press the organic, plant-based dough into a treat baking mold to form into any fun shapes you wish, like paw prints; shape by hand into festive treats, like candy canes; or simply press out the dough by hand and use mini-cookie cutters, like dog bones. Adjust baking time if need.

**Other fun toppings for these plant-forward pet treats include pumpkin or butternut squash puree, Neufchâtel (light cream cheese), or vegetable-colored Neufchâtel (try it blended with a small amount of roasted beets for a pink color or spinach for a light green color). Be playful and fill with whatever your dog loves, even if that means a pet-safe table scrap or caviar!

See below and our FAQ page for more prep, baking, serving, and storage tips.

Serve

Most dogs enjoy these sustainable treats as is. But you can also break up the noshes into smaller bite-size pieces as treats. And you can fill the baked thumbprint (or pinky print) cookies with enticing fillings that fit your pupper’s diet, transforming them into mouthwatering (and playful!) appe-teasers or party-time desserts, if you choose. Even though these are vegan dog treats, there’s no “rule” that says you need to only fill the thumbprint indentation in the cookies with 100% plant-based ingredients. For instance, fill with:

no-salt, no-sugar peanut butter
pumpkin or butternut squash puree
unsweetened whipped cream
mashed banana or banana “nice cream” (just blend frozen banana)
Neufchâtel (light cream cheese)–plain or blended with some veggies for color (try a small amount of roasted beet for a pink color or spinach for a light green color)
fancy organic chicken or wild salmon mousse (simply blend cream cheese with plain protein)

Fun Tip

If you add a filling, like light cream cheese, to your thumbprint cookies, you can go one step further for party time. Top with edible pet-friendly sprinkles, like Lord Jameson Celebration SuperFetti Organic Dog Sprinkles.

Feed

Follow these suggested serving guidelines for feeding the thumbprint cookies to your pup based on their size:

Feed up to one cookie (or two mini-cookies) per day per 10 pounds body weight.

Of course, you can individualize the amount of thumbprint cookies you feed to your dog-child by providing them less than these guidelines suggest. However, it’s not advisable to feed more than these serving guidelines since our vegan dog treats are intended for supplemental feeding only.

*Hint: Keri (our co-founder) likes to vary the toppings for Cooper — some days it’s peanut butter, others it’s cream cheese!

Stash

Store the unopened packaged baking mix can in a cool, dry spot, like in a kitchen pantry away from direct sunlight or heat. Check the “best by” date on the package and be sure to bake by that date for optimal freshness.

Store the prepared thumbprint cookies in a sealable container for up to:

1 day at room temperature.
1 week in fridge
6 months in freezer

Ideally, we love storing the cookies in earth-friendly containers (which means no plastic and no single-use containers!), such as:

Mason jars or other sealable glass containers
Silcone sealable reusable containers, like Stasher® bags
Airtight stainless steel containers with lids featuring a silicone seal

Nutrition Statement: This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian with questions regarding your pet’s diet.