The idea for these treats came about one Saturday. We have something of a tradition. After a very lazy morning, sitting a spell in our kitchen nook, eavesdropping on folks walking by, Shawn and I take Daisy to her ballet class. This is merely an excuse to dress her up in the pink tutu and watch her bouncing around like a cute little bunny. She just looks too adorable. 
After dance, we must go to the ice cream shop. Daisy always gets the rainbow sherbet. The fascination must be with the wild colours, because the flavour is nasty.* It tastes like something between really bad hard candy and cough syrup. Why she does not go for a classic like strawberry or their rich chocolate is beyond me. But, our lady bug loves it and we love watching her be happy.
This is the only time that her tootooz** will stay on the chair for nearly 5 minutes. She will actually sit there, quietly indulging in her cool treat, bright blue sap dripping all over her pretty face, onto her pink ballet dress, the table, chair, floor.
Then, she runs to the refrigerator case and calls out what pretty ice cream cakes there are. Then she runs back to our table and back to the cakes again. When we go outside, I help her climb the brick wall in front of the store and walk along it several times before she agrees to head home. When we finally get there, my sticky Smurf gets hosed down in the shower and her entire outfit gets dunked into the washing machine before that blue stain sets in.
The original plan was to bake some doggy biscuits. But, the recent visit to the ice cream parlor along with the hot weather gave us a better idea: An ice cream sandwich safe for dogs! Why should our furry friend miss out? It was brilliant, but we weren’t sure how easy it would be to pull off.
After thinking about what to avoid (chocolate, avocado, salt, sugar, grapes/raisins, garlic, onions) we realized there was a ton of options. And before we knew it, a surprisingly healthy and delicious (we could not stop licking the bowl!) treat came to be.
Overstuffed Doggy Ice Cream Sandwiches
Note: We originally shredded the carrots and left the oats whole. Blitzing the oats in a food processor, then the carrots makes for a more homogeneous dough that is easier to work with.
Yields 8 sandies
Doggy Ice Cream
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Doggy Biscuits
2-3 carrots
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 Tb honey
1 egg
Prepare the doggy ice cream first.
Add peanut butter, yogurt and cranberries to a plastic container with a lid.
Mix with a spoon until smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350*F
Transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Dust your rolling pin with a bit of flour.
Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness.
The less messy option is to place the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper, then roll it out.. But, being messy is more fun.
Use a cute cookie cutter to cut the dough.
Gently transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roll out the remaining dough and cut biscuits until most of the dough is used up.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, ~15-20 minutes
Remove ice cream from freezer.
Using a butter knife, spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of the ice
cream onto 1 cookie.
Top with another cookie and gently press together.
Repeat this process until all biscuits have been used up.
Transfer to a plastic container with a lid, seal and freeze several hours before offering one to your furry friend. It really is that easy and such a refreshing treat on a hot day.
After a few hours, I raided the freezer, waved an ice cream sandie in the air and got Milou’s attention. We made a mad dash to the backyard. I could not wait to find out what my furry little friend would think of these. So, I offered one to him, he carefully sniffed it, nose wiggled, then he gently took it from my hand, dropped it onto the grass and, before I could blink, it disappeared. Milou must have inhaled it whole! That was proof we had a winning idea.
Because you make it from scratch at home, you can feel good about giving your pup a healthy snack.
This would be great as a refreshing treat for your parrot, too, maybe cut into half.
Adopt! Don’t shop!
If you do not have a sweet friend like our Milou, consider adopting over purchasing from a pet store. Not only will you save an innocent creature’s life, but you’ll be rewarded with unconditional love. We found our Ozzie when I was browsing through PetFinder one day and fell in love with his cuteness. We rushed to adopt him, because his fur was dark. Dark-haired dogs and cats are less popular than their lighter cousins, for some odd reason. Another reason we hurried to get him was that he was at a high-kill shelter. Ozzie’s proven to be a blessing in our family. His intelligence, playful character and clever wit make him such a joy to have around the homestead. Have a look through the ads on PetClue for a sweet companion who needs a good home. You’ll find lots of tips on getting the best supplies for your new friend, as well as sound advice. Support the ASPCA and PETA as they are worthy global efforts in looking out for our four-legged friends. PetClue and HerePup both are good resource for anything you need to make your furry-friend feel at home.
Looking at Milou covered in fur makes me ashamed to complain about the hot weather. Man’s best friend deserves to indulge in ice cream as often as we do, if not more. These homemade Doggy Ice Cream Sandwiches are healthy, delicious and refreshing. Packed with honey, oats, carrots, peanut butter, cranberries and yogurt, these treats are loaded with healthy fiber, protein, natural sugars, vitamins and probiotic elements.
The best part is
that your pup will enjoy a cool summertime treat and you can feel good about offering a yummy, yet secretly healthy snack made right in your own kitchen.
*Sorry, Baskin-Robbins.
**Armenian slang for derriere, keister, gluteus, behind
The post Overstuffed Doggy Ice Cream Sandwiches appeared first on Coco in the Kitchen.
