Show your four-legged friend some love with these tasty homemade dog treats.
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Credit: Stephen Lewis

Making homemade dog treats is a simple way to show your dog you care. Whether you're giving them a biscuit for following commands or just want to spread the love, creating your own homemade treat is easier than you might think. All it takes is seven ingredients to make about five dozen—making enough for every dog in your neighborhood, or for one very good boy or girl.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup brewer's yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium canned chicken stock, plus more for brushing

How to Make Homemade Dog Biscuits

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt before setting it aside. Next, place oil in a large bowl before adding the stock and flour mixture in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with stock and mixing well. Then, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 3/8-inch thick. Shape biscuits using a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter or by cutting around a store-bought dog bone with a butter knife. Be sure to make biscuits that are appropriate for your dog's size.

Because they're homemade treats, you can customize them however you'd like. We recommend spelling out your dog's name or a holiday message in the dough with a toothpick.  A professional tip to ensure clean handwriting is to wet the toothpick first so it won't stick. After your design is complete, transfer the shaped dough to parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat this with the remaining dough.

Finally, bake the biscuits for 10 minutes in the 400-degree oven. Then remove them and brush their surface with stock before rotating the baking sheets and baking for another 10 minutes. Afterward, turn off the oven, and let the dog biscuits stand in the oven with a closed-door until they are dried completely; about 1 1/2 hours. You can wrap them as a gift, or store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Comments (43)

Martha Stewart Member
March 1, 2019
I tried making these dog biscuits and left them in my oven for 1 & 1/2 hrs. & they were so hard that I couldn't hardly break them so I knew my dog couldn't eat them so I threw them out. Can I leave them in the oven for less time?
Martha Stewart Member
January 30, 2018
Hey Martha, don't you know that yeast, and salt, are not recommended ingredients by veterinarians??
Martha Stewart Member
December 29, 2016
How about a grain-free dog treat? Is Wheat Germ okay for dogs with allergies to wheat?
Martha Stewart Member
August 20, 2016
What, if anything, is a substitute for Brewer's yeast?
Martha Stewart Member
August 20, 2016
What, if anything, is a substitute for Brewer's yeast?
Martha Stewart Member
April 13, 2016
I'm sorry.. on what planet does this recipe make FIVE DOZEN biscuits??
Martha Stewart Member
September 27, 2014
my question is if making these treats for my dog, should I also freeze them
Martha Stewart Member
September 24, 2014
I love the idea of Brewers Yeast in these dog treats! We actually use this ingredient a lot. Try is on Pop Corn for added flavor. It's YUM! We just made Stella & Sophie's Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Cookies (recipe on www.delightfullyinspiredliving.com). Theses treats from Martha will be next! Our Boxer girls love treats!
Martha Stewart Member
February 8, 2014
Just love homemade dog treat recipes. We posted our peanut butter honey treats with yogurt "icing" and linked to this recipe as well as others on our blog. Come visit! http://freedomdogcare.com/delicious-doggie-treats-with-icing/
Martha Stewart Member
December 21, 2013
If you have a dog that suffers from seizures be careful with flour....gluten can induce seizures. My yellow lab had seizures & I made dog biscuits she went crazy over but in a week she had 10 seizures and I couldn't figure out why. Figured out the problem, no biscuits=no seizures. I felt terrible!!! The recipe I used had wheat, rye, cornmeal.
Martha Stewart Member
October 22, 2013
The biscuit recipe I use calls for (2 cups)wheat flour (1/2 cup) cornmeal (5 tabs)canola oil and (3/4 C+)beef stock, and makes about 4 dozen if not too thickly rolled. I have added apple rinds & carrots, but biscuits will not last as long, the fresh fruit decays quickly. I knew that garlic was toxic but nice to know it can given cooked. Word-wise, something toxic for dogs may bring belly pain; and "intoxication" means a person drinks alcohol to excess!! As in getting drunk!
Martha Stewart Member
October 22, 2013
Not using a cookie cutter, make human crackers, do the same. Flip over jellyroll pan, spray the sheet, plop the dough and roll it out. Cut to rectangles and bake on pan this way. Single mess.
Martha Stewart Member
October 22, 2013
Doing my fruit prep for canning, my German shorthair Allie was by my side, trying to catch anything she could. I decided to rescue all the peelings of the apples and pears, rinsed, drained and popped into the freezer as I would my herbs to use. These are going into the blender and added to dog-cookie recipes. So many ways to take your ingredients at random and mix till you have consistancy to make-bake. We create recipes all the time for HUMAN consumption, just a bit of altering.
Martha Stewart Member
March 31, 2013
This is wonderful post. I want to say that do not give your dog commercial food. Healthy homemade food is very important for your dog. I found very good and easy recipes in Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Martha Stewart Member
March 9, 2013
TheBeebs - Er, doh! did you read the recipe - it does tell you to switch the oven off!!!
Martha Stewart Member
September 17, 2012
Fresh garlic is toxic to dogs BUT cooked garlic is NOT toxic to dogs, great for repelling ticks and fleas. Buy a copper dog biscuit cutter at King Arthur Flour, they have several sizes available, biscuits freeze well, can be refrigerated for weeks in a zip lock bag when not out on the counter or in the doggie jar. Its actually easier if you make the dough and refrigerate overnight...its much easier to handle the next day.Spread on parchment paper generously coated with corn meal ,roll out & cut.
Martha Stewart Member
August 22, 2012
http://www.marthastewart.com/319172/izzys-apple-cheddar-dog-biscuits I think this is the recipe sammyboy was referring to.
Martha Stewart Member
August 6, 2012
Is this a good recipe?
Martha Stewart Member
July 25, 2012
Sammyboy, can you post your recipe please, thank you
Martha Stewart Member
July 1, 2012
Question, How long do they last for?
Martha Stewart Member
June 10, 2012
I agree with sammyboy. Much healthier recipes out there. Love Martha tho!
Martha Stewart Member
May 30, 2012
I have a recipe for dog biscuits that I got from Martha some time ago and I think it's much more nuititious than this one. The main ingredient is barley flour which is better for dogs than wheat or corn which can cause allergies. The other ingredients are unsweetened applesauce, oatmeal, olive oil and cheddar cheese. These smell so good when they're baking that I want to eat them myself. Don't know if this recipe is still available on Martha's website but I can provide it if it's not.
Martha Stewart Member
May 30, 2012
I am going to make these & others - with all the problems with dogs dying, we need to do something to cut out buying things like these from China
Martha Stewart Member
April 20, 2012
I have made these several times and my dogs (and others' dogs) love them. I did make some changes though. First, I used vegetable stock instead of chicken, olive oil instead of canola and added diatomaceous earth. Second, I used whole wheat flour and replaced the wheat bran with flax meal. And third, I made gluten-free versions with a mix of oat flour, brown rice flour and garbanzo/fava bean flour. They were all a hit at my house!
Martha Stewart Member
April 14, 2012
Dog shaped and bone cutters can be found at hobby stores. I found mine at a bakery supply. This is the exact same recipe on the MS dog bone cutters I found at Pet Smart. The recipe states these treats can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. I am going to try beef stock to give my pet variety.
Martha Stewart Member
April 14, 2012
Dog shaped and bone cutters can be found at hobby stores. I found mine at a bakery supply. This is the exact same recipe on the MS dog bone cutters I found at Pet Smart. The recipe states these treats can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. I am going to try beef stock to give my pet variety.
Martha Stewart Member
December 11, 2011
MANY DOGS DO NOT TOLERATE WHEAT (AP FLOUR). I would substitute brown rice flour or ground oatmeal and nix the wheat germ altogether.
Martha Stewart Member
November 4, 2011
I live in the UAE and I haven't seen any brewers yeast around (for obvious reasons being a Muslim Country) is there an alternative to this one ingredient? Also I'm thinking to add more nutrition using real stock from a carcass (without onions) would be better and lower the amount of salt added?
Martha Stewart Member
November 3, 2011
How long can these biscuits be stored? I was planning on selling them at a holiday craft show and wanted to let people know how long and how they should be stored.
Martha Stewart Member
October 15, 2011
very surprised to see a recipe so lacking in nutrition on her site. all-purpose flour? as if!
Martha Stewart Member
January 14, 2011
I can't wait to try this. We have a litter of chorkie pups, who unfortunately lost their mom the day after they were born. We have hand fed them from day one! We have truly been blessed, that we were able to keep them all alive. Even the vet is surprised that we were able to keep them all. What an awesome and heartfelt experience!!! They are 3 months old on the 21st of this month, and I think for a special treat they will get these biscuits. Thanks so much for the recipe
Martha Stewart Member
October 6, 2010
Easy and quick recipe, especially in the Kitchen Aid Mixer. However, this makes NOWHERE NEAR FIVE DOZEN. I got about 30 treats with this recipe using Martha's smallest dog bone cookie cutter. Turned out fantastic!
Martha Stewart Member
August 4, 2010
It's more like 1 and a half cups of flour....and no way it makes 5 dozen.We got 28 assorted sizes.You can probaly get about 3 dozen using the small cutter.My grand daughter,who isn't particularly interested in cooking, loves animals and you know how it goes...anything for the dog.She enjoyed the process.I got to teach her a little about fractions.The dog loved the treats.Most of all, we had fun and made a terrific memory.
Martha Stewart Member
July 28, 2010
I have now tried these twice because I thought that the first abject failure must have been my fault! I was wrong - leaving them in the oven for an extra hour (let alone hour and a half) results in a product which is dark/verging on burnt and extremely unappetizing. Also - how you can get 5 dozen even using the smallest cookie cutter is completely beyond me. I would leave this cookie recipe well alone!
Martha Stewart Member
June 7, 2010
@ Redsmom: I got one for less than $2 from Jo-Ann's. But I've also seen them at Sur-la-Table as well as cake decorating and supply stores.
Martha Stewart Member
March 28, 2010
Where can I get a dog bone cookie cutter?
Martha Stewart Member
February 13, 2010
My concern would be MSG (by all other names as well) found in most canned stock. Please don't use it for you or your pets.
Martha Stewart Member
January 24, 2010
Sounds good except for the canola oil part, I would never feed that unhealthy garbage to my beloved pets.
Martha Stewart Member
December 2, 2009
would beef stock work the same as chicken stock?
Martha Stewart Member
November 2, 2009
I feed my dog Canine Caviar which has garlic as a holistic ingredient. My friend and vet told me that garlic is actually good to have incorporated in your dogs diet because the odor it gives off through their coat helps to detract fleas. My dog is currently 7 months and has been on Canine Caviar since he was 6 weeks. He has not shown any signs of intoxication.
Martha Stewart Member
November 1, 2009
These comments are interesting. My dogs get garlic everyday, and I have not found it toxic.
Martha Stewart Member
August 6, 2009
I agree with Laura. I have a leafet from my vet that is put out by the ASPCA that states garlic is toxic to dogs.
Martha Stewart Member
July 30, 2009
garlic is toxic to dogs