a different kind of christmas cookie

On the very first day of my Winter Break, Malcolm and I spent part of the afternoon whipping up a batch of Peanut Butter Dog Treats for my sister's dog (our furry nephew/cousin), Emmitt.  Not only was it an easy Christmas gift to put together, it was fun to work in the kitchen alongside my boy.

(It didn't hurt that, halfway through, he exclaimed "Mom is a good cook!")

Here is how you can make your own treats for the four-legged friends in your family ...

You will need:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats

To make the treats:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, blend the water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla together until well combined, then set aside.  Whisk the flour, cornmeal, and oats together in a small bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a workable (it will still be quite soft) dough forms.

Roll the dough out (to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) on a floured surface and cut the treats in whatever shape you desire.  We used cookie cutters to make bones, dogs, and some letters ("M" for Malcolm and "E" for Emmitt).

Place on an parchment paper-lined, or (ungreased) nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes are up, turn the oven off and leave the treats inside as it cools (this will allow them to become nice and crisp).

Store in an airtight container once they are cooled ... We "fancied" our treats up by putting them in a glass container and adding ribbon and a festive tag (since they were a Christmas gift).

Although Malcolm was disappointed that he could not taste the finished product, he was so excited to give the gift to Emmitt ...