7 Christmas Dog Treats to Bake, Gift and Share
Dog Treat Recipes
December kitchens run on butter, sugar and spice, and every tray that comes out of the oven draws a hopeful little nose to the door. Christmas dog treats let a pup join in without any of the risky extras, and the best ones are quick enough to fit between wrapping paper and party prep.
All seven use simple pantry ingredients with dog-safe swaps for the spices and sweets that belong on human plates. Four are baked cookies, one is a full recipe on this page, and two need no oven. More ideas live in the full collection of dog treat recipes.
Many double as gifts, and a small bag of biscuits makes a sweet dog stocking filler.
Festive Dog Treats: Quick Tips Before Baking
- Keep pieces small. A dog cookie cutter set makes every biscuit the same size, which keeps portions easy to judge.
- Check every label. Some peanut and nut butters contain xylitol, a sweetener that is dangerous for dogs, so choose one made from nuts alone.
- Leave out nutmeg, chocolate, raisins and currants, even when a human recipe calls for them.
- Introduce one new treat at a time, so any tummy upset is easy to trace.
- New to baking? Warm up with these easy homemade dog treats.
Christmas Dog Biscuits and Cookies to Bake
These four roll, cut and bake like classic Christmas cookies, so a set of festive cutters does most of the decorating.
Peanut Butter and Ginger Snaps
Ground ginger gives peanut butter a warm holiday twist. These grain-free peanut butter ginger snaps for dogs use almond and coconut flour and dry in the cooling oven until they truly snap.
Plain ginger is one of the gentler herbs and spices for dogs, but a little goes a long way, so keep these occasional.
Gingerbread Dog Cookies
This gingerbread dog treat recipe uses whole wheat flour, molasses, honey, cinnamon and fresh ginger, with no nutmeg in the bowl. The dough chills for a few hours, so mix it the night before and bake in the morning.
Snowflake Shortbread Dog Cookies
These snowflake shortbread dog cookies need four ingredients: rice flour, eggs, a little oil and honey. A drizzle of melted yogurt drops or white carob makes them gift-worthy Christmas dog cookies.
Puppermint Cookies With Fresh Mint
Green and white flecks make these grain-free Puppermint dog cookies look made for the season, with almond and coconut flour, coconut oil and chopped fresh mint. Use fresh leaves only, never peppermint oil or candy canes.
Cranberry Yogurt Cookies: An Easy Xmas Dog Treat Recipe
Red cranberries and a white yogurt topping give these cookies a proper Christmas look. Plain cranberries are safe for dogs in small amounts; dried ones work if unsweetened and free of raisins. Makes about 24 cookies with a 2 inch cutter.
Ingredients for Cranberry Dog Cookies
- 2 cups oat flour (or whole wheat flour for dogs without grain sensitivities)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt for the topping
Baking and Icing the Cranberry Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking tray.
- Mix the oat flour and cinnamon, then stir in the applesauce, egg and coconut oil until a soft dough forms. If it feels dry, add water a teaspoon at a time. Fold in the cranberries.
- Roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of baking paper and cut out shapes.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until firm with lightly golden edges, then cool completely on a rack.
- Dip or drizzle the tops with yogurt, add a few extra cranberry pieces and chill for about an hour to set.
Storing Yogurt-Iced Dog Cookies
Keep iced cookies in an airtight container in the fridge and use within five days. Un-iced cookies freeze for up to three months. For dogs who find dairy hard to digest, skip the topping.
No-Bake Holiday Dog Treats
When the oven is full, these two set in the fridge or freezer. Both use carob, the dog-safe stand-in for chocolate.
Peanut Butter and Carob Bites
These no-bake peanut butter and carob treats layer coconut oil, peanut butter and carob in silicone molds, then freeze into 10 to 15 little holiday chocolates. Coconut oil is rich, so serve one small piece at a time.
Dog-Friendly Carob Chocolate Bark
This dog-friendly chocolate bark layers melted carob and yogurt drops with raspberries and desiccated coconut. Snap it into shards once set, and label the plate so human guests leave it for the dogs.
Healthy Dog Christmas Treats: Safety and Portions
Healthy Christmas treats for dogs are made from plain, dog-friendly ingredients such as oat or rice flour, xylitol-free peanut butter, pumpkin, cranberries, carob and small amounts of ginger or cinnamon. They leave out the festive extras that harm dogs, including chocolate, nutmeg, raisins and currants, macadamia nuts, alcohol and anything sweetened with xylitol. Even safe treats should stay within about 10 percent of a dog's daily calories.
Festive Ingredients Dogs Should Never Eat
Christmas pudding, fruitcake and mince pies usually contain raisins or currants, which can damage a dog's kidneys. Nutmeg contains myristicin, which can cause a racing heart and seizures in larger amounts. Stuffing and gravy often hide onion and garlic.
If a dog eats any of these, or a sugar-free product that might contain xylitol, call your vet or animal poison control right away, before symptoms appear. Vomiting, wobbliness, weakness or trembling all need a prompt call.
How Many Holiday Treats Are Too Many
That 10 percent budget shrinks fast for small breeds: a Yorkshire Terrier may have room for a couple of small cookies a day, a Labrador a few more. Break biscuits in half and trim dinner slightly on treat-heavy days. Fatty treats are a particular concern for dogs with a history of pancreatitis, so if your dog has a health condition or eats a prescription diet, check new recipes with your vet.
Softer Treats for Senior Dogs and Puppies
Seniors with sore teeth and young puppies do better with something soft. Roll the dough thicker, bake a few minutes less and store in the fridge. These soft banana almond puppy treats bake in ten minutes and suit older mouths too.
Dog Treats as Christmas Gifts
Homemade biscuits make thoughtful Christmas gifts for dog-loving friends and neighbors. Choose crisp baked ones, since they travel and keep better than iced or frozen treats.
Wrapping Homemade Dog Biscuits for Friends
A clear bag, a ribbon and these free printable Happy Howlidays dog gift tags are all it takes.
For a bigger gift, fill a DIY dog treat jar and list the ingredients on the tag, especially peanut butter, for dogs with allergies.
More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes for the Season
The 52 Weeks of Treats eBook gathers more than 30 healthy recipes for every season.
These chamomile cookies from Master Bowie suit quiet evenings after the guests leave.
The ASPCA's list of people foods to avoid feeding pets is worth a look before the holiday cooking begins. Then turn up the carols and let your pup supervise from the kitchen floor.
Related Reading
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Thank you! Can’t wait to try the PB and ginger treats for my pack!
Is their a recipe for a softer treat? My niece has an elderly dog that prefers a softer treat rather than a harder one.