Bacon Cheddar Dog Treats

If you follow me on Instagram, chances are you know I'm pretty much obsessed with my chocolate lab, Roscoe.  Today, Roscoe turns 5 and we celebrated over the weekend with some homemade dog treats and a family cookout.

Roscoe absolutely loved his Bacon Cheddar Dog Treats, and after testing them out on a few other pups at a friend's cookout Saturday, I can safely say these are pretty popular.  

 I don't actually know much about doggie nutrition, but after looking at a few other recipes online, I saw that whole wheat flower and skim milk were common ingredients.  It's not abnormal for Roscoe to have a little bacon or cheese, so I didn't think twice about feeding him these.  If your pup has a more sensitive stomach or doesn't eat a lot of human food, there are quite a few healthy alternative homemade treats on Pinterest. I found the Lab cookie cutter at Williams Sonoma - they lots of breeds!

Roscie enjoying his birthday present- a baby pool!

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies, depending on cookie cutter size):

 *3 c. whole wheat flour

*2 tbsp. butter, diced

*2 tbsp. olive oil

*1 c. milk

*1 egg

*4 oz. freshly grated cheddar cheese

*2 pieces bacon, cooked and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 cookie sheets with tin foil or parchment paper.  In a large bowl, add the flour and cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork, until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add the cheese and bacon to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, and olive oil.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined.  When the dough comes together, shape it into a ball with your hands and refrigerate for 20 minutes (if it is too dry and not coming together, add water, 1 tbsp. at a time until the dough forms).  Cut the dough in half and roll out to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface.  Cut into shapes and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.