Hey, fellow pet lovers!
Today’s post is a simple and delicious homemade treat recipe that your pooches are going to love!! Since it’s Halloween next week I thought it would be a good idea to start making some pumpkin treats for my girls, Nia and Lily.
I found this recipe online but have made a little change as I used coconut flour instead of whole wheat flour, to see the original recipe then head over to foodwithfeeling.com.
Before making these Halloween treats I just briefly wanted to mention a few things about the beneficial ingredients we will be using, such as pumpkin, coconut oil and cinnamon.
What are the health benefits of pumpkin?
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Pumpkin is not only tasty and looks wonderful with its bright orange appearance it is also great for ourselves and our canine friends in moderation.
Pumpkin is great for many things, it is:
- High in Fibre.
Pumpkin is high in fibre so is great for digestive health, if your pooch is struggling to go to the loo or has eaten a bit too much bone, then a spoon or two of pumpkin should help get things moving.
- Pumpkin seeds and pumpkin are high in essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Pumpkin seeds are high in essential fatty acids and antioxidants and will help to contribute towards a shiny and healthy looking coat for your canine friend. As well as this pumpkin seeds are believed to be great for urine health since the flesh and seeds are filled with healthy oils.
- Raw pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer.
Raw pumpkin seeds added to your dog’s diet can provide protection against worms and intestinal parasites.
- High in vitamin A.
With pumpkin being packed full of beta-carotene the body turns some of this into vitamin A, which is great for eye health and will help your pet maintain good vision as they age.
- Excellent source of beta-carotene.
A precursor to vitamin A, vital for growth and development and provides support to the immune system and vision.
-
Low calories great for overweight or older dogs.
Pumpkin is super low in calories which makes it the perfect addition to an overweight dogs diet or an elderly pooch who needs to consume fewer calories. If you haven’t checked out my post on obesity then head over there after reading this, Obesity and our pets, the shocking truth!
Here is a nutritional breakdown of pumpkin.
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 26 Kcal | 1% |
| Carbohydrates | 6.50 g | 5% |
| Protein | 1.0 g | 2% |
| Total Fat | 0.1 g | 0.5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.5 g | 2% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 16 μg | 4% |
| Niacin | 0.600 mg | 4% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.298 mg | 6% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.061 mg | 5% |
| Riboflavin | 0.110 mg | 8.5% |
| Thiamin | 0.050 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 7384 IU | 246% |
| Vitamin C | 9.0 mg | 15% |
| Vitamin E | 1.06 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 1.1 mcg | 1% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0.5% |
| Potassium | 340 mg | 7% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 21 mg | 2% |
| Copper | 0.127 mg | 14% |
| Iron | 0.80 mg | 10% |
| Magnesium | 12 mg | 3% |
| Manganese | 0.125 mg | 0.5% |
| Phosphorus | 44mg | 5% |
| Selenium | 0.3 mcg | <0.5% |
| Zinc | 0.32 mg | 3% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-α | 515 mcg | — |
| Carotene-ß | 3100 mcg | — |
| Crypto-xanthin-ß | 2145 mcg | — |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 1500 mcg | — |
Rudrappa, U. (n.d.). Pumpkin nutrition facts and health benefits. [online] Nutrition And You.com. Available at: https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pumpkin.html [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
What are the benefits of coconut oil?
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Personally, I love coconut oil!
It is so versatile and can be used for so many things, whether it be cooking or cosmetics it is such a great ingredient.
- Contains essential fatty acids
In coconut oil, these are primarily Medium chain triglycerides or MCT’s which are easily broken down by the body to provide a fast source of energy, which of course can make your dog feel more energetic.
- Increases metabolism
Research points toward coconut oil having the ability to gently increase metabolism which can result in your dog being more healthy and having greater vitality.
What are the benefits of cinnamon?
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Ceylon cinnamon to be exact and apart from being utterly delicious, this is truly a wonder spice.
- Antioxidants!
Cinnamon contains high levels of polyphenols and antioxidants which promote anti-inflammatory effects in the body, this can help to prevent and remedy disease and disorder.
- Protects against cancers.
As well as having antifungal and antibacterial properties limited studies indicate that cinnamon may well produce a protective effect against certain cancers.
- Raises insulin resistance.
Overweight and older dogs have an increased risk of diabetes just like we do, cinnamon added to their diet can raise insulin resistance and along with the right diet and exercise can improve blood glucose levels and help protect the body from this diseased state.
- Delicious.
Did I mention it’s also delicious!
I absolute love cinnamon and my girls seem to too, these treats only contain one teaspoon but you can still smell the delicious cinnamon even though its such a small amount.
Let’s jump straight in and learn how to make these simple Halloween spiced pumpkin and coconut flour biscuits!
Halloween Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits
I don’t normally make my girls biscuits and tend to stick with meat-based treats but since getting Nia’s allergy test results back and finding out I am limited with what I can give her meat wise and also with Halloween coming up, I thought I would give these tasty treats a go.
These were a bit of an experiment since it was my first time really making anything like this and I would say they resemble more of a cake than a biscuit, to be honest. However, the girls seem to love them, which is what matters so I decided to go with today’s post and share it with you guys so your lovely pets can give them a try too.
Stick around for a more refined version and hopefully a more biscuit-like treat recipe in the near future.
Thankfully though they turned out great and my girls cannot seem to get enough of them!
What you will need?
- 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin, canned or fresh but make sure it is unsweetened!!
- Two tablespoons of coconut oil softened.
- Four tablespoons of water, plus more if needed
- 1/2 to 3/4 a cup of coconut flour
- One teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- One egg
Once you have all your ingredients we can move on and start making your furry friend some delicious pumpkin treats 🙂
Step One, Make your pumpkin puree
The first thing to do is to make your pumpkin puree, this is really simple and all you have to do is prepare the pumpkin by removing its insides, then stick it in the oven to bake. However, you could just buy tinned pumpkin if you wanted, as it will make it a lot quicker but we had a few homegrown pumpkins to use that were left over from our garden.
To make your pumpkin puree simply cut your pumpkin in half and spoon out its insides and discard. Then simply cut your remaining pumpkin into wedges and place on a non-stick baking tray, or line your tray with baking paper, place your pumpkin skin side up and bake for a little longer than 1 hour at about 375F (190C) until tender.
Mine actually took a bit longer than an hour but that is what the original recipe said, so just keep checking on it every now and then. Once cooked, remove the skin from the flesh while still warm as this makes it a lot easier and then puree until smooth. If your pureed pumpkin is too thick, simply add a few spoonfuls of water when pureeing.
Homemade Pumpkin Puree.
Now you have your own homemade pureed pumpkin we can start making our treats.
Step Two, Mix your pureed pumpkin, water and coconut oil together
Mix your pureed pumpkin, water and coconut oil.
Next to do is to mix your pumpkin, water and coconut oil together in a mixing bowl until smooth.
You will need:
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
- Two tablespoons of coconut oil softened
- Four tablespoons of water, plus more if needed
Once you have mixed your pumpkin, water and coconut oil together its time to move onto the next step and add your dry ingredients.
Step Three, Add the dry ingredients
Coconut flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.
The next step is to add your dry ingredients to your mixture of pureed pumpkin, water and coconut oil.
Your dry ingredients are:
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of coconut flour.
Apologies about the varying amount of coconut flour, I started off adding 1/2 a cup then ended up just sprinkling more in during step five as my mixture was too soft, so just add as much as you need so the mixture comes together nicely.
Remember coconut flour is seriously absorbent though and a little goes a long way!!
- One teaspoon of cinnamon.
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
Once you have mixed these in a bit, its time to move onto step four and add the remaining wet ingredients.
Step Four, Add the remaining wet ingredients
Now we need to add egg into our mixture and also a few spoons of water if your mixture needs it. During step five I got a bit worried as I had realised that the coconut flour had made a total different mixture than the original recipe and it was far softer than it should have been.
However, like I mentioned in the previous step I just sprinkled some more coconut flour in until I got a consistency I liked. If you do accidentally add too much coconut flour then simply just add a little more water or pumpkin puree.
Add the remaining wet ingredient which is:
One egg
Step Five, ensure everything is nicely mixed
In the original recipe, you should be able to form a dough ball and roll it out but my mixture was far too soft to do so, instead just make sure everything is nicely mixed in and get your chosen moulds ready.
Since my mixture was fairly wet it wouldn’t have withstood being rolled out so there for using a cookie cutter is a no go. However, you can follow the original recipe if you want and use wheat flour but I didn’t want to so opt for coconut flour which is why my mixture was less firm.
Step Six, Place mixture in moulds
I was a bit gutted that I couldn’t use my little bone cookie cutters but thankfully my bone moulds worked just fine. Place your mixture in whatever moulds you have chosen but firstly oil them to ensure your treats don’t stick when you try to remove them. I just placed a little bit of coconut oil in my moulds before adding the mixture. There are so many fun and creative moulds out there, you literally could opt for any design you can think of.
Step Seven, Place your treats in the oven to bake
We are so close to having finished treats, and my girls were both around me at this point. Thankfully, they don’t take too long to cook so your pooch really doesn’t have to wait very long for their tasty treats. Place your filled moulds in the oven at about 350 degrees F or 175 C, then bake for about 30 – 35 minutes. I might have left mine in a tiny bit too long, but they still seemed great, my moulds were pretty thick so if you opted for smaller ones just keep a close eye on your treats as they will most likely be finished quicker.
Step Eight, Place your finished treats in an airtight container
Woo, you finally have your own homemade Halloween pumpkin treats that your pet is going to love!!
I really enjoyed making my girls these tasty treats and they seem to love them which is always great. Pumpkin is really wonderful for your dog’s digestive health and is full of fibre, also coconut oil is a great fat that will provide your pet with plenty of energy and cinnamon is a wonderful spice that is great for your pooch in moderation.
You could make a batch of these tasty treats and hand them out to pooches who come knocking for trick or treat or simply keep them all for your little devil. Feed these treats in moderation with them having cinnamon in and also never leave your pet unsupervised while eating.
Stick around for more tasty treat recipes heading your way next week, I’m hoping to make something a lot more creative than these pumpkin bones. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas leave a comment below and I will be sure to give them a try.
Really mam, how many photos do you need???
These treats are great for your pet and also super easy to make so why not give them a go. If you do decide to do so then be sure to leave a comment and let me know how they turned out or post a picture on our Facebook page @epoch.pet
Also if you enjoyed today’s post then let me know by hitting that like button and giving it a share so other pet parents or even pet lovers can learn how to make these delicious homemade treats for their furry friends. If you haven’t checked out last Saturday’s post then head over there now, epoch.pet, Six Months On.
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