Servings: 8-10 serving(s)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Cornmeal* molasses dog treats are a wholesome snack for your furry friend. They’re easy to make and tasty for people too.
At farmer’s markets I always admire the homemade dog treats. They look so wholesome that I’m temped to buy them, even though we don’t have a dog right now.
While we await our puppy (still a few months off — fingers crossed) I thought it time to practice baking for a family addition of the furry kind, especially since my oldest child will be heading away to university next month so there will be fewer of us in the house to eat my regular baking.
This recipe for cornmeal molasses dog treats is adapted from a recipe that a former colleague gave me. To her version I added ground flax, used coconut milk and tried them with various lengths of grated carrots. Our neighbour’s dog devoured them and I ate a few too. (Rolled thinly, they’re like crackers and go great with a slab of extra old cheddar.)
I love the bone-shaped version but cutting them into little crackers is much more practical.
Tip from a reader: “Many dogs have corn allergies, so substitute cornmeal with rice flour, oat flour, or kamut flour…..works great.” Another reader suggested chickpea flour in place of the wheat flour for dogs with allergies.
Homemade Cornmeal Molasses Dog Treats Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup ground toasted sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup cornmeal*
- 1-2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup grated carrots**
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbs. coconut milk or evaporated milk
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. molasses
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended.
- Scrap onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball.
- Roll to ¼” thick and cut into shapes.
- Prick with the tines of a fork then bake 15-20 minutes until golden.
Store in a tin for up to two weeks. This recipe freezes well.
*Can replace cornmeal with oat flour, chickpea flour or rice flour.
**Grate carrots on a box grater, either the large hole or the medium size.
One more thing…
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Hi Bridget, Three very common allergens for dogs are corn, wheat, and soy. Since many people wouldn’t notice if their dog was itchy or having abdominal distress, I think its best not to promote dog treat recipes using these ingredients. These are people foods that dogs in the wild using their instincts, would never choose. Also the majority of corn and soy are usually contaminated with roundup unless grown organically, and wheat is now commonly harvested using roundup as a drying method. We need to choose wisely to keep our families and pets safe.
Hi Kathi, Thanks for the info, it’s super helpful to me and my readers. It was because of similar feedback that I offered options to replace the cornmeal with oat flour and there is no soy in this recipe. I agree that organic is a great option for all cooking and baking ingredients but leave it up to readers to choose what works best for their families. Still, the more info that is shared the better so I really appreciate that you took the time to share so much information.
Hi Bridget,
I’ve just made these treats for my pack of 5 dogs and they all loved them! They smelled great while cooking too so a bonus for me :)
I much prefer to make my treats rather than buying store bought with lots of added preservatives, etc.
Thank you for this fab recipe!
Have a great day :)
Debra and her dogs
Great that they loved them. I agree, making homemade treats is better for everyone.