Make “Greenies” for your dogs
“Greenies” are dog treats. If you are a dog owner you know this- and probably have very definite feelings about them. Dogs love them. There was some issues with “Greenies” a few years back about their digestibility and whether or not they are “bad” for dogs. I know MY dogs LOVE them. Like dog crack- they gobble them up. I stopped giving them to my dogs a few years back because they are pretty pricy and they never really do digest. I think you know how I know. The benefits of GREENIES were supposed to be- improved breath and dental cleaning. They were even shaped like a toothbrush! I always doubted the dental cleaning part- Greenies always seemed to stick to the dog’s teeth… like gummy bears. I have wanted to make my own greenies for a while now. I knew there was no way that I would get the texture- I didn’t want to have plastic in the treat! I knew I could get the color but also the benefits plus more benefits- and go all natural! With a real “get teeth clean” crunch I felt confident!
Franks GREEN Breath Brushes
Since I’ve been cooking so much lately, and since dog treats are my very favorite thing to bake, I went online to look for possible recipe ideas. There was one recipe floating around that made sense. It needed a few extra things so I added those. Also I wanted the treats to be something that I could roll out and shape with a cookie cutter, the other treats that I found that were breath freshening all were spoon/ or dropped treats including this one. So I added more flour to the recipe to make it roll out easily. These Breath Brushes came out pretty good! The dogs love them and they are CUTE! Today I give to you my version of greenies. Please give them a try! Recipe follows.
Dough and cute toothbrush cookie cutter
Geo "thinks" it might be good
Frank’s Breath Brushes
3 1/2 brown rice flour plus 2 cups more (rice flour for crunch)
1 tablespoon of activated charcoal (I opened 12 capsules for 1 tblspn.)
4Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 egg
1/2 cup packed fresh mint
1/2 cup packed fresh italian parsley
1 cup chicken broth or water
Small bottle Liquid chlorophyll (whole foods/health food store)
Preheat over to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Combine charcoal with 3 1/2 cups brown rice flour set aside.
Put parsley, mint oil and 1/4 cup of broth or water into food processor. Process until very chopped, like pesto. Add 3-4 droppers full of chlorophyll. Pulse a few times to mix. Add this green paste to flour mixture and mix well. Beat egg lightly and mix in. Knead adding remainder of water/broth. By this time you should have a very sticky dough ball. Heavily flour the work surface and knead dough until an even green color. Divide dough into workable portions and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick, or whatever thickness you prefer. Add flour to work surface and dough surface as needed to take away stickiness as you work. Cutout with your favorite shapes, and dock with a fork to keep puffiness down.Bake for 25 or 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I used a toothbrush shaped cutter from my favorite cookie cutter supplier Copper Gifts. Aren’t these presh??!!
You know they LOVE it when they go away to eat the treat! He's moving fast!
These look great, I will have to try them out sometime. I have never been happy with Greenies as my dogs all throw up after eating them, so I am delighted to find a natural alternative
Thank you so much for this! I’m always looking for natural things for the doggies. Terrific post Darla!
thanks!!
can’t wait to try this recipe.. can you clarify the about of Brown Rice Flour needed.. is it 3 and half cups plus 2 cups…. 5 1/2 cups total?
it reads 3 1/2 brown rice flour plus 2 cups more (rice flour for crunch)
thank you!
hi, i started with the 3 1/2 cups and added the remaining 2 cups as needed to make the dough workable for rolling out. you might use all 5 1/2 cups. or you might not. have fun!
My dog loves you for this.
This is awesome. LOVE the toothbrush cutter! Makes them look even better than the Greenie counterpart!
P.S. Give Geo & Frank a big hug from me!
My dogs are so obsessed with Greenies! I will have to try these out!
let me know what you think! and what your dog thinks!
Hey there Darla! I am a dog trainer and new to WordPress… I am loving your doggie recipes!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a firm believer of natural diets and since I’m not as creative as you in the kitchen, I’ll definitely be ‘stealing’ some recipes!
If you need any training advice in return, you know how to find me =)
fantastic!! please make them, use them, enjoy them!! and thanks for visiting!
Oh my goodness, this is genius! I’m so glad I came across this because my dog has terrible dog breath and greenies are a bit too pricey. Thank you for posting this!
We love your blog and are going to follow you.
Check us out at http://www.essentjewels.wordpress.com and http://www.essentjewels.com. We love to use materials like natural stones in our jewelry, so you might be into it!
These are awesome! I have a puppy with a sensitive stomach. Maybe I’ll make these for her instead.
those pumpkin hearts are nice for the tummy. and they really liked the taste!
Darla,
This post left us drooling. We love greenies and having fresh breath. We are showing our humans the recipe. Thanks for this and for following our blog!
Bella and DiDi
thanks girls! tell your humans if you are not wheat intolerant- half whole wheat flour and half rice flour will be easier to handle when rolling out the dough. all rice flour is pretty grainy when wet- but super crunchy when dry. thanks for stopping by!
I was wondering what the purpose of the activated charcoal is? I read about its medicinal properties, but it also absorbs nutrients, and in excess can cause diarrhea, constipation, nausea and related upset. I have a 9 lb chihuahua mix (rescue) with a delicate system and wheat allergies, and I cook for him and am very careful with what I feed him [and would never give him Greenies... he gets Zuke dental bones]. I am looking to make dental treats but I might leave out the charcoal unless it’s necessary for cleaning his teeth? Or I might cut the amount in half… anyway…. does it help clean the teeth or is it added for the health benefits? Thanks so much!!
hi! definitely do what you are most comfortable with. all doggies are different just like people are! do it your way and they will love them- no doubt!!
thanks for the re-blog!