Stinky Girl - Stinky Cookies

Autumn's 4th birthday was in September. I made her some stinky dog treats and she loved them! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

I made her cheesy bacon doggie treats last year when she turned 3, so this year I wanted to make something a little different. Not that she cares...I'm sure she'd eat the the same bacon and cheese bones everyday and not ever complain, but I like for her to have a diverse palette- ha!

I have a doggie treat book I found on clearance a couple years ago. A lot of the recipes have funky stuff in them like- desiccated bone meal, raw chicken and pork livers, kelp powder, processed cheese spread, and many more odd things that I do not keep in my house nor would I buy just to make dog treats. So I found a recipe for carrot and cheese dog treats and subbed the ground beef for canned tuna. They were so stinky but of course it smelled great to her!

Carrot & Cheese Dog Treats from Tasty Treats for Demanding Dogs

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2-3 tbsp. grated dried cheese (Parmesan)
• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef, cooked and finely minced (or one small can of tuna in water-do not drain)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely grated
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder*
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. beef or chicken broth (if you use tuna, you don't need the broth)

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or use parchment paper to line 2 baking sheets. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine both flours, cheese, cooked beef or tuna, carrots and garlic powder.

3. In a small bowl, using a wire whisk or electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until foamy before beating in the broth.

4. Using a large spoon, a spatula or your hands, combine the two mixes, blending until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a soft dough. If the mixture seems a little dry add a little more broth a tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet add a little more flour.

5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface, and using a rolling pin, roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 1/2- inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can, reworking the scraps as you go. The dough will become stiff as it is reworked.

6. Place the cookies side by side on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cookies appear very dry and the edges are lightly golden. Remove the trays from the oven and cool to room temperature. Turn off the oven.

7. When the cookies have cooled completely, put all the cookies on one cookie sheet and return them to the cooling oven. Leave them undisturbed (read: do not open the oven during this time) for 8-16 hours.

NOTE: I used the full amount (3 cups) of all-purpose flour. And I substituted the ground beef for a can of tuna in water. If you use the tuna, do not drain it. It is enough liquid that you don't need to add the broth.

These are fairly easy to make, you just have to make sure you allot the time to make them. I made them in the evening and left them in the oven (per the directions) over night. You really must not skip this step because the cookies need to dry out. Leaving them in the dry warm oven depletes their moisture so you can keep them longer at room temp. Doing this will also make them really hard, so don't be alarmed if they feel like hockey pucks. If they still have moisture in them, they will spoil- you don't want that and neither do your dogs.

Also, I used a 3x1 inch (bone shaped) cookie cutter and they baked for 45 minutes before they turned golden. This recipe made about 36 3-inch cookies. Depending on how thick you roll the dough and the size of the cutter, your results may vary. I then used a smaller 1-inch pumpkin shaped cookie cutter for the scraps.

*Some dogs may be allergic to garlic, so leave this out if it's a concern.

I promise your pooch will LOVE these! They're so much better for them than the store bought chemical laden variety and they're cheaper- win win!

**Don't forget to vote tomorrow!**