Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats give you about 30 homemade treats made with apple, oats, applesauce, and a little Ceylon cinnamon. You can mix the dough in one bowl and cut it into shapes before baking.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 small apple, cored, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
Yield: about 30 treats | Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F | Cool: 30 minutes
Instructions
1. Preheat the Oven and Line a Baking Sheet
Set your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven heats, set out the baking sheet and a mixing bowl for the dough.
The parchment should lie flat against the pan, with enough open space for you to arrange about 30 cut treats in a single layer.
2. Core and Chop the Apple
Core 1 small apple and remove the seeds. Finely chop the apple so the pieces will spread through the dough and fit inside the cut shapes.
Gather the chopped fruit in a small pile; you should see small, fairly even pieces, without large chunks that would stick out of a rolled treat.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients
Add 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup rolled oats, and 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon to the mixing bowl. Stir until the oats and cinnamon are spread through the flour.
The mixture should look evenly speckled, with no concentrated patch of cinnamon at the bottom or along the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the Applesauce, Egg and Apple
Add 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 large egg, and the finely chopped small apple to the dry mixture. Stir until the flour is absorbed, then bring the dough together with your hands.
You should have one cohesive dough with visible oat flakes and apple pieces, and no loose flour left in the bowl.
5. Roll the Dough
Place the dough on a clean work surface and press it into a flat round. Roll it out to an even thickness, turning it as you work so the edges stay close to the same depth as the center.
The surface should look smooth enough to cut, with small apple pieces visible throughout.
6. Cut the Treats
Press a small cookie cutter into the rolled dough and lift out each shape. Place the cutouts on the lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
Gather and reroll the scraps, then continue cutting until you have about 30 treats. The shapes should hold their edges as you move them to the pan.
7. Bake Until Firm
Bake the treats at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Check them near the end of that range: the tops should look dry, the edges should be lightly golden, and the centers should feel firm when gently pressed.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven once the treats have reached those cues.
8. Cool on a Wire Rack
Transfer the baked treats from the sheet to a wire rack and let them cool for 30 minutes. Spread them out so air reaches their undersides as well as their tops.
At the end of the cooling time, the treats should feel dry on the surface and cool to the touch.
Apples and Cinnamon for Dogs
Your apple needs its core and seeds removed before it goes into the dough. The measured cinnamon gives the whole batch a light apple-spice scent.
Why the Seeds Must Go
When you core your apple, cut away the entire seed cavity before chopping the fruit. Apple seeds contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide when chewed, so they have no place in your dog’s treats.
Finely chopped apple spreads through the dough more evenly than large pieces. You should see small bits of fruit in each cutout without pieces pushing through the surface.
How Much Cinnamon Is Safe
The recipe uses 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon across about 30 treats. That gives each treat only a small share of the spice; you should smell a mild cinnamon scent when the dough is mixed.
Use Ceylon cinnamon for the amount listed. It contains less coumarin than the more common cassia cinnamon, and the recipe does not need extra spice to flavor the apple dough.
Serving and Storing the Treats
Serve your dog a fully cooled treat, and store the rest only after they feel dry on all sides. Treats are extras alongside your dog’s regular food, so choose a portion that fits your dog’s size and daily treat allowance.
Because these treats contain fresh apple and applesauce, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freeze any you will not use soon, with parchment between layers to make individual treats easy to remove.
For training, you can break a cooled treat into smaller pieces; dog training works best when each reward is quick for your dog to eat.
Tips for the Best Results
Chop your apple finely before mixing. Small pieces stay inside the cookie-cutter edges, so your shapes are easier to lift onto the baking sheet.
Aim for even thickness when you roll the dough. If you want a less firm treat for your dog, keeping dog treats from getting hard starts with watching the bake closely and storing the cooled treats well.
Substitutions and Safety
Keep the applesauce unsweetened and check its label for xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Remove the apple core and every seed. Use only the listed amount of Ceylon cinnamon; extra cinnamon can irritate your dog’s mouth or stomach.
Whole wheat flour, oats, and egg are part of this dough. If your dog has a known sensitivity to any of them, choose a recipe that fits your dog’s diet instead of making an untested swap. Your veterinarian can help you assess suspected food allergies in dogs or decide whether homemade treats suit a dog with a medical condition.
