Throughout December, our friends at Vetstreet.com are highlighting some of the recipes in The Culinary Canine. The series kicked off last week with yours truly! I actually contributed one of Roberta' Deen's recipes--not in the book but really delicious--for pumpkin treats.

Here it is for you adventurous chefs. And for those of you less adventurous, just substitute more of the canned pumpkin for the real stuff!


Paw Print Pumpkin Biscuits
Ingredients
1 cup plain, canned pumpkin puree
1 cup peeled, 1/4-inch diced and lightly blanched fresh pumpkin
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Mix ingredients in a large bowl, while slowly adding water to achieve a chocolate chip cookie-like consistency.

3. Drop teaspoonfuls (for petite puppies) or tablespoonfuls (for big guys) of dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Using a fork, flatten the dough into rounds and make a crosshatch pattern on the surface.

4. Bake 10 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet and bake another 5-10 minutes (less time is needed for the teaspoon drops), until the cookies are golden and firm.

5. Turn the oven off, open the door and allow the treats to cool completely.