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As pet parents and dog lovers, we’re all guilty of passing a bite or two of food to our furriest family members, especially once they’ve mastered the fine art of flashing those puppy dog eyes!
Unfortunately, many of the foods we humans cook and enjoy ourselves is not just unhealthy for our four-legged friends, many times it can be dangerous, even life-threatening. Most dog owners are aware that chocolate and onions are toxic to dogs, but did you know that grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, high fat foods, certain fruits, even some herbs and spices can lead to serious health consequences?
Before sharing even a bite of “people food” with your deserving dog, make certain it both accommodates the discerning palates of humans and doesn’t ignore the dietary limitations of dogs.
The following sample recipe, from Cooking for Two—Your Dog & You! by Brandon Schultz and his furry co-author Chase Schultz-Osenlund is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
This playful book is full of recipes that are delicious “people food” and also safe for sharing with your canine best friend. Cooking for Two—Your Dog & You! has a lick-your-plate-clean recipe for every occasion, including holidays, party plates, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, of course, dessert.
Apple Cobbler
This delicious recipe is for two mini cobblers and is designed for personal-size baking dishes, which you can pick up for a few dollars at any home goods store. If you’d rather use a standard pie dish, multiply the ingredients by four and bake a little longer, until all of your apples are soft!
Ingredients
For Both
1 Red Delicious apple, peeled and sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced
2 scant Tablespoons white sugar
1 scant Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 pinch baking soda
1 pinch baking powder
3 heaping Tablespoons rolled oats
3 Tablespoons butter + more for greasing
For Humans
Cinnamon
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, add the apple slices, white sugar, brown sugar, and flour, and mix thoroughly.
Generously grease the baking dishes with butter, then arrange the apple slices evenly among them.
Heat the butter in the microwave for 10–15 seconds, until melted.
In the same mixing bowl, add the baking soda, baking powder, oats, and butter, and stir to combine.
Pour the topping evenly over the apples.
Bake until the apples are tender, about 20–30 minutes (30–40 minutes for a full pie dish).
For Dogs
Scoop a few spoonfuls of the cobbler into a small dish, and allow it to cool thoroughly.
Cut the apple slices into two or three pieces each for easier chewing, and serve!
For Humans
Add a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon, and stir to combine throughout.
You can garnish human servings with ice cream, whipped cream, and apple peel for color and added texture, but don’t give these to pup. The peel can be a choking hazard, and the dish is sweet enough for him without the creams!
Normally this dish would be made with cinnamon added in step 5, but certain cinnamons can be dangerous for dogs at larger doses, so I advise leaving it out of doggy’s share entirely. If you’re using individual baking dishes, you can add half of the oat topping to your pup’s dish (step 6), then add cinnamon to the remaining topping in the mixing bowl, stir, and top your dish with the rest. If you do this, be sure to mark which cobbler is yours before adding it to the oven (stick a toothpick in yours to be sure you’ll remember!).
Cooking for Two—Your Dog & You! By Brandon Schultz (Skyhorse Publishing, Oct. 2016). The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
Interested in cooking a meal to share with the more finicky of our furred family? Check out Cooking for Two – Your Cat & You for cat-safe recipes to share!
