Loaded with high protein quinoa flour and sunflower butter, these gluten free dog treats are a tongue-and-cheek way for your dog to celebrate groundhog day.
According to an old German legend, if a badger sees his shadow on February 2nd, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early. Once in America, German immigrants couldn’t find badgers, so the groundhog became the star of this pseudo-holiday and incidentally, a Bill Murray film. Today being February 2nd, was the day. The famous prognosticator and “seer of seers” emerged early this morning at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and …..
did not see his shadow, which means an early spring!
Several years ago, I made the very very early morning trip to Gobbler’s Knob (Phil emerges at 7:20 to seize the day). I’m a sucker for small town traditions and festivals, and a trip to Punxsutawney is one for the bucket list. From giant sculptures to baked goods, everywhere I turned, there was something groundhog themed.
Despite the cold and the darkness of the very early hour, there’s so much energy amongst the spectators. I started a conga line in the crowd. One of the “top hats” (the handlers of Phil) shot a groundhog day t-shirt from a shirt cannon, and from way in the back, I caught it. I met a “top hat” and came pretty close to Phil himself.
Though I didn’t make the trip this year, I did celebrate in spirit. Punxsutawney Phil can be a controversial character when he sees his shadow and predicts more winter. I happen to like the snowy months (don’t hate me), so I’m fine with that furball either way. However, if there’s one friend of mine who would really like Phil (for the wrong reasons), it’s my Julep girl.
If Julep trekked to Gobbler’s Knob, her heart would race with purpose, and her chase for Phil would begin. A farm girl at heart, Julep earned her treats as The Rustbelt Farmer’s urban farmpaw. She’d run the perimeter of the farm, checking for the freeloaders who chomped the lettuce and tomatoes, and she’d often run in hot pursuit to scare them off the property.
Out of respect for Phil’s safety, I made Julep her own special gluten free dog treats for the chomping. These mini Phils are loaded with high-protein, gluten-free quinoa flour, sunflower butter, pumpkin and oats, and they’re chop-licking good.
Here’s to Phil’s early spring!
Cheers,
Groundhog Day Gluten Free Dog Treats
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 ½ cups quinoa flour
1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp all natural creamy sunflower or peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk. Add the the flour, oats, pumpkin, sunflower or peanut butter, and cinnamon in a bowl. Use a spatula to stir until a dough comes together into a ball. It will be sticky. If need be, you can add a little water to help make the dough more workable, but you want the dough to be fairly stiff.
Transfer the dough to a work surface covered with wax paper. Top the dough with a second sheet of parchment, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a half inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to punch out your cookies, or cut the dough into squares. Arrange the cookies on the sheet pan(s).
Bake in preheated oven until edges are hard, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the shape/size of your cookies. Baking for 15-20 minutes yields a softer crumb, but if you wanted a crispier biscuit that you could also eat as a cracker, bake for about 30-40 minutes.
Cool on a baking rack, then serve to your favorite furry groundhog chaser.
Enjoy!
