Healthy Peanut Butter Sticks for Dogs: What to Look For?

Alright, so I decided to try making some peanut butter sticks for my dog the other day. He absolutely loves peanut butter, like, goes crazy for it, and I figured, why not make some treats myself? Cheaper and I know exactly what's in 'em.

Getting Started - The Ingredients

First thing I did was gather up all the bits and pieces. Didn't need a whole lot, which was nice. Here’s what I pulled out:

• Whole wheat flour - about two cups, maybe a bit more.
• Peanut butter - smooth kind, maybe half a cup? Crucial bit here: Made absolutely sure it didn't have xylitol in it. That stuff is seriously bad for dogs, poison really. Always check the label.
• One egg.
• Some water - maybe half a cup to start, just to bring it all together.

Mixing It Up

Okay, so I grabbed a big bowl. Dumped the flour in first. Then I sort of made a little dip in the middle and plopped the peanut butter and the egg right in there. Started mixing it with a wooden spoon. It was pretty crumbly at first, looked like a mess.

This is where the water came in. I just added a little bit at a time, mixing after each splash. Didn't want it too wet or sticky, just enough so it started forming a dough ball. Kept mixing until it all came together nicely. Got my hands in there at the end to really knead it a bit on the counter.

Rolling and Cutting

I dusted the counter with a tiny bit more flour. Plopped the dough ball down and started rolling it out with a rolling pin. Wasn't aiming for perfection, just got it reasonably flat, maybe like a quarter-inch thick, something like that. Then I grabbed a pizza cutter – yeah, a pizza cutter, worked great – and just cut the dough into little strips. Like little fingers or sticks. Probably about half an inch wide and maybe 3 inches long? Rough sizes, didn't measure precisely.

Baking Time

Got my baking sheet out and put some parchment paper down. Makes cleanup way easier, trust me. Laid out the little dough sticks on the paper, giving them a bit of space so they wouldn't bake into one giant blob. The oven was already preheating, set it to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, I think? Yeah, 350 sounds right.

Slid the baking sheet into the oven. Now, the timing... I kinda just watched them. Probably took around 20 minutes, maybe 25? I waited till they looked nice and golden brown around the edges and felt pretty firm when I gave one a gentle poke. Didn't want them soft, but didn't want to burn 'em either.

Cooling and The Verdict

Pulled the sheet out and let the sticks cool right there on the paper for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool down completely. Important: Gotta let them cool all the way before giving any to your dog. You don't want a burnt tongue!

My dog, Max, he knew something was up. He was sniffing around the kitchen the whole time they were cooling. Once they were cool, I grabbed one and offered it to him. Snapped it right up! Gone in seconds. He was looking for more immediately, so I guess that's a win!

Stored the rest in an airtight container. They seem to keep pretty well, but honestly, they don't last long in my house anyway. Pretty easy to make, and Max definitely approves.