Did you guys know that Tom brews beer?
^ Montana sneaking some of her treats tehehe
Well… he does! Part of the process of brewing beer requires boiling grains in order to break down the sugars and dissolve them into the water so that the yeast can “eat” them. After the grains are boiled, they are removed and usually thrown away… BUT these spent grains are still great grains that can be used as compost, to feed livestock, or to bake into delicious dog treats!!!! Don’t brew beer? That’s okay!! Just contact your local brewery – they should have plenty laying around for the taking.
Apparently, yesterday was National Dog Day soooo today seemed like a very appropriate day to post about these fabulous dog treats! Once you acquire some spent grain, these treats are ridiculously easy to make and only contain FOUR ingredients – three of which I’m 99% sure you already have at home… peanut butter, flour, and eggs! Basically, you just mix everything together then roll out the “dough” and cut it into treat shapes like you would Christmas cookies! I bought these adorable bone shape cutters so that they actually looked like dog treats but any shape will do. The recipe makes about 100 small treats so they’ll last you a while! I totally plan to make these at Christmas and give them out to all my friends with dogs tehehe 🐶❤️
spent grain dog treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups spent grain from your favorite home brewer or local brewery
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl then melt in the microwave for about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, scrap peanut butter into a large mixing bowl then add the spent grain, flour, and eggs. Using the same rubber spatula, mix the ingredients until completely incorporated.
Place the "dough" on a flour work surface then roll it out (with your hands or a rolling pin) until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cut treat onto parchment paper lined baking sheets then bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Reduce oven heat to 225F then bake for an additional 2 hours – this will create longer lasting cookies!
Recipe Notes
Please note: Hops are toxic to dogs eek!! When making dog treats with your spent grains, please please please please be sure that they haven’t had any contact with hops. Store the grains in a large pot or bin after mashing. If you’re not going to use all the grains, you can store them in the refrigerator for later use to ensure they don’t get moldy.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your spent grain dog treats in action. Peace out, friends!
xx ab