- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Christmas cookies are one of the best parts of the holiday season—but they’re not a dog-friendly treat. That’s because of the large quantity of sugar and butter, both of which can upset a dog’s stomach.
You don’t have to leave your dog out of the holiday fun, though! These DIY dog Christmas cookies are easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. We’ve got a simple plain dough, a cranberry red dough, and a spinach green dough that you can combine for some truly beautiful dog treats, plus your traditional gingerbread men and snowflakes.
They make great gifts for the dogs in your life, and a sweet addition to pup-friendly holiday celebrations. Haul out your favorite cookie cutters, put on some Christmas carols, and spend a happy afternoon baking for your four-legged friends. Read on for:
- Applesauce and Oatmeal Cut-Out Dog Cookies (a neutral base color)
- Spinach Holiday Dog Treats (a vivid green)
- Cranberry Holiday Dog Treats (a bright red)
- Gingerbread Cookies for Dogs
- Coconut Shortbread Snowflake Treats for Dogs
Applesauce and Oatmeal Cut-Out Cookies
This is the base recipe for perfect cut-out cookies. You can combine this neutral-colored recipe with the red and green cookie doughs below for dazzling cookie creations, or add natural food coloring to create any color cookies you like.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 tray 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute with regular flour for a whiter dough)
- 2 cups rolled oat flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Combine all ingredients in food processor or stand mixer. Add flour as necessary until dough is no longer sticky and is ready to roll out.
- To create doughs of different colors, divide into separate bowls and add natural food coloring.
- Keep dough covered to prevent drying between batches. You can rehydrate dough with a little coconut oil as needed.
- Bake at 350º for 20 minutes and let cool before serving.
Notes
This dough refrigerates up to 1 week, and freezes for 3 months.
Spinach Holiday Dog Treat Recipe
This recipe results in a deep green cookie dough with a lovely, shaggy texture. It’s perfect for Christmas tree, wreath, and holly cookie cutters.
A word of caution: the inherent dampness of the spinach will give this recipe a shorter shelf life, so keep the finished cookies in the fridge if they will not be consumed within 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 Tray 1x
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen spinach thawed, drained, and excess water squeezed out
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute with any flour your dog enjoys)
- 2 cups rolled oat flour
- 6 capsules chlorophyll
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 cup applesauce
- A few drops of peppermint extract
- 2 eggs
- OPTIONAL: dried cranberries for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Thaw a package of frozen spinach in the microwave.
- Drain the spinach as much as possible. Press the spinach into a colander, squeeze with your hands, or press into a tea towel. This will ensure your cookies aren’t too soggy.
- Place the dried spinach in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until spinach is thoroughly pureed. This will make cutting out cookies easier. If you skip this step, your cookies will be a little shaggier around the edges.
- Add the flours, chlorophyll, and parsley, then pulse to combine well.
- Add the applesauce, peppermint, and eggs, then pulse until dough forms.
- Move dough to a board, add flour, and work until ready for cookie cutting.
- Decorate cut cookies with cranberries if desired.
- Keep dough covered to prevent drying out between batches. You can rehydrate dough with a little coconut oil.
- Bake at 350º for 20 minutes and let cool before serving.
Cranberry Holiday Dog Treat Recipe
This recipe is for a festive red dough that sports just a hint of tangy cranberry. If the color isn’t bright enough, you can add a little natural red food coloring to get your perfect shade.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 Tray 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen cranberries
- ½ cup plain applesauce
- 1/4 cup dried low sugar cranberries
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute any flour you like)
- 2 cups rolled oat flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- OPTIONAL: natural red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Microwave the applesauce and frozen cranberries together until thawed (about 2 minutes).
- Put the fruit mixture and dried cranberries into a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.
- Add the flours and pulse until combined.
- Add the eggs, coconut oil, and food coloring if using, and pulse until dough comes together.
- Work dough on floured board, adding more flour as necessary to get a good working dough.
- Keep dough covered to prevent drying out between cookie batches. You can rehydrate dried-out dough with a little coconut oil.
- Bake at 350º for 20 minutes and let cool before serving.
Gingerbread Cookies for Dogs
We used a blend of healthy whole wheat and oat flour in our recipe, but you can use any type of flour that works for your dog’s needs, or whatever you have on hand.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 Tray 1x
- Category: Holiday Treats
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (made from rolled oats)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- OPTIONAL: carob chips for gingerbread eyes and buttons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Combine the flours, baking powder, and spices in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Add the molasses and applesauce and mix to combine.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and coconut oil and mix to combine, adding more flour if necessary.
- Roll out gingerbread and cut into gingerbread men or your choice of shapes.
- Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until just starting to get golden around the edges for a soft cookie, or until crunchy for longer shelf life.
Notes
Looking for something even more festive? Try this dog-safe gingerbread house recipe!
Coconut Shortbread Snowflake Treats for Dogs
This fancy cookie is perfect for a special holiday treat. The triple threat of coconut shreds, coconut flour, and coconut oil creates a rich and crumbly cookie with a house-filling aroma.
This dog-friendly shortbread can be delicate when hot, so make sure you let your snowflakes cool before removing from the cookie sheet!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 1 Tray 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup oat flour (make by blending rolled oats in your food processor or substitute with your favorite flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- Egg wash (1 egg + 2 tbsp cool water whisked together)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Cream coconut oil about 2 minutes in a stand mixer or just until fluffy.
- Add half the dried coconut, flours, and baking powder and continue to mix on low.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until a nice dough ball is formed.
- Roll out dough about ¼” thick, as it will be delicate to work with until baked and cooled.
- Cut out into simple shapes, coat with egg wash, then sprinkle with the remaining coconut flakes.
- Bake at 350º for 18 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
Tips for Blending Doughs Together
Image courtesy of Kiki Kane
This technique is much easier than it looks. To start, take a small amount of each color, and roll them out separately into long, flat rectangles. Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice rectangles into strips.
Use your fingers to gently smush the dough pieces together, pressing up toward one color, then down towards the other. This doesn’t have to be perfect—this should be a fun process!
Once you have enough dough to accommodate your cookie cutter shape and style, roll the dough to an even thickness with your rolling pin. Cut, bake, and enjoy.
