Dog Cookies

I am a rather unenthusiastic cook and seldom bake anything. But I do occasionally bake dog cookies. Talk about spoiled. Emme and Rudy think I am a genius to be able to make such good cookies. I couldn't have a better audience.

The cookies are made from wheat and we limit the amount of wheat that Rudy gets, but I do give him one from time to time. The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but they seem to keep forever. I put them in a Ziplock bag in the bread basket on top of the refrigerator and use them only once or twice a week. I have two different cookie cutters, a larger one that I found in Berlin when I was shopping with my sister and a smaller one that was a Christmas gift from a family friend. Rudy get the big cookies and Emme the small ones, of course.

When the cookies are baking, Rudy sits in front of the oven and watches. While they are cooling on racks, he sits and watches them. We call it "Worshipping at the Altar of Cookie." Although he is big enough to reach up and take one of the cookies, he has never done that. He just waits and drools until I give him one. What a good dog.

Emme is overwhelmed with the cookies. She gets one and instead of eating it, she carries it around in her mouth for minutes looking for the perfect place to eat it. By that time, Rudy has devoured his and is sniffing around for Emme's cookie. She often will take her cookie up on the couch or in another room to eat it. Often she has to play with it, jumping and pouncing on the cookie before it is ready to be eaten. Although Rudy is interested, he has never taken Emme's cookie away from her.

I got the recipe from a weekly grocery ad a few years ago. It makes great dog cookies:

Cookies for your Dog

3/4 cup canned beef broth

1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine broth and melted margarine. Stir in powdered milk, salt, sugar, and egg. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. On a floured surface, knead dough about 3 to 4 minutes. Dough will be very stiff. Pat or roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes. Allow cookies to cool and dry hard.