Amy’s Got Crackers “Love and gratitude in a treat.”
The highest compliment you can give someone is to let them watch your dog, and here’s one example.
This recipe was originally featured in an article I wrote for Pet Friendly magazine in 2009. It has been adapted to a crunchy treat for one of my canine companions, King Svenny by his dog walker extraordinaire, Ms. Amy. Amy was Bluffton, South Carolina’s premiere pet sitter, companion, and dog walker. We adored her. She has the gifts of calm and joy that my canine companion and her many clients are drawn to. As a bonus, there’s nothing like it when you get home to your pet after a long weekend apart and there’s a gift bag of homemade crackers with a note that says, “Thank you for letting me take care of Svenny for you while you were away. We had a great time. He was a good boy, and I can’t wait to see him again.” With an attitude of gratitude for her service heart, I want to send a shout out, “Thank you, Ms. Amy!”
I also wanted to share this recipe with my tribe of Rockstar chefs —you! Oh, and these crackers are good for people, too delicious!
Servings: 3 dozen large crackers
Ingredients:
3 cups organic gluten-free oats
2 cups organic gluten-free flour
1 - 15 oz. can organic pumpkin (BPA-free can if possible)
1 cup finely grated carrots
2 egg yolks
½ cup parsley leaves (cleaned, spun dry, finely chopped)
4 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed or coconut oil
2 tablespoons organic unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons oregano
½ teaspoon turmeric
Optional: water if necessary, to smooth out dough. Extra flour and oats to roll dough if using cookie cutters
Equipment:
Rolling pin (if rolling and using a cookie cutter)
2-4 cookie sheet pans (will depend on size of cookies you bake)
Baking or parchment paper, or silicone baking mat (I prefer the mat)
Desired dog biscuit cookie cutters
Extra flour or oats for rolling the dough
Instructions:
Prepare ingredients as suggested above.
Preheat; convection air oven to 325°F, or 350°F in a standard oven.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add all ingredients and mix on low speed until uniformly combined and a firm ball of dough is formed. Add water if needed to soften dough enough to roll nicely.
Remove dough onto a flour-dusted surface. Roll out to ¼ to ½ inch thickness.
Cut with your desired dog biscuit cookie cutters, transfer to parchment-covered baking sheets. At least a half inch apart.
Larger cookies bake about 30 minutes. Small to medium cookies bake about 25 minutes.
Cookies should be dried and crisp. But not over cooked and browned. I often turn the oven off and just let them dry up, with the oven door vented a little.
Note: You can also turn each cookie over, halfway through baking time to reduce time in the oven. And or insure a dry crisp cookie.
Storage: There’s a lot of moisture in this recipe. These cookies must be entirely dry if storing in a cookie jar, at room temperature. I prefer keeping them in baggie, in the fridge or freezer. They’ll last a long time. “Especially in a humid climate.”
