Peanut Butter Bones- The Dog Kind

I was thinking about baking something today, when I had the epiphany that dogs eat food too! So I decided to make some Peanut Butter Dog Bones as treats for my one year old German Shepherd puppies (CT is on the left & Dozer is on the right- hanging out together on the patio right after the rain made mud that was promptly attached to their big paws and trampled over my patio- kids *sigh*).

I searched online to find a good recipe, but ended up splicing 3 different recipes together to get the right dog-bone consistency and flavor I thought they might like.   This recipe can be easily halved.

2 packages dry yeast
1 C lukewarm water
2 C mashed potatoes

2 C milk
1/2 C molasses
1 C Water or Broth

1 C Smooth or Chunky Peanut Butter

3 C whole wheat flour
2 Lg. Eggs

3 cups all-purpose white flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 ° F (165 ° C).

1) In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water- set aside. 

2) In a large saucepan, mix together the potatoes, milk, molasses, water/stock, and peanut butter. Heat, stirring frequently until boiling. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

3) Add yeast mixture. 

4) Gradually blend in the egg and wheat flour. 

5) Gradually blend in enough white flour to form a stiff dough.

6) Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth (i.e. does not stick to the board or rolling pin-  takes about 3-5 minutes). 

7) Cut the dough into two halves. Shape each half into a ball and roll to approximately 1/2-inch thick. 

8) Using cookie cutters, cut out the dog bones (or whatever shape you desire). 

9) Place on ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1/4-inch apart. This recipe expands slightly but not much, so you can fit a large number of them on one cookie sheet. 

10) Gather up the scraps, roll out again, and cut additional treats.

11) Bake for 40-45 minutes. 

12) Let cool uncovered for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. 

13) Makes several (about 6) dozen bones that freeze well.

And here they are! These are only a few of the dozens of bones that came out of this recipe. And our dogs ate them right up!