Homemade Dog Treats - Liver Brownies

Here at the Ninja household, we are pretty insistent that our pets get healthy, high-quality food and treats. Feeding your pets cheap food can save money in the short run, but end up costing you in the long run with higher vet bills, shorter life spans, and lower quality of life. Unfortunately, buying high-end "gourmet" prepackaged dog treats can be insanely expensive.

In order to provide our animals with healthy treats that aren't laden with chemicals and preservatives and not go bankrupt in the process, I started making homemade dog treats. Just like cooking for your human family allows you to save money and increase quality, cooking for your fur family is a win-win as well. One of the ninja pups' favorite treats is Liver Brownies!

Warning: This recipe involves raw liver. And cooking liver. It smells pretty gross, but your dogs will LOVE you for it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (approximate) Beef or Chicken Liver (I used 3/4 lb beef liver because that's what I had)
• 2 cups flour
• 3 eggs

Dump everything into your food processor:


Process for a minute or two until well-blended. You may need to add a little bit of water (1/4 to 1/2 cup) if it is too thick for your food processor. The batter will be rather thick and gooey:


Dump the liver goo into a greased 9x13 pan:


Use a rubber spatula to spread the goo evenly in your pan. Did I mention it is thick and gooey? Spread it as evenly as you can, but don't worry if its not pretty. It's liver, I don't think pretty is an option.


Bake at 350° for 20 - 25 minutes. Caution: Wild ninja pups will begin to circle the kitchen during the cooking process as the aroma of baking liver treats begins to permeate the air:


The brownies are done when they appear dry on the surface - they may puff up some. Remove from oven and let cool


Once they're cool enough to handle, cut into small ninja pup sized bites:



Since these have no preservatives, they will probably only be good for a couple of days unfrozen. I usually package mine in plastic gladware containers and put them straight in the freezer.


OK, so they don't all get put in the freezer... the vicious Ninja pups must be appeased!


Cost breakdown for these treats:
.75 lbs beef liver: $1.49
2 cups flour: ~$.25
3 eggs: ~$.25

Total: $1.99

I could easily pay over $10 for similar quality treats at the store - and I still wouldn't know for sure what was in them!

Liver Brownie Dog Treats

1 lb. (approximate) Beef or Chicken Liver
2 cups flour
3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Grease a 9x13 pan
3. Place all ingredients into food processor, blend until a smooth paste (a few liver chunks are ok) is formed
4. Spread paste evenly in pan
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes
6. Allow to cool, then cut into bite-size pieces
7. Store in airtight container for 1-2 days, freeze for up to several weeks.

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday.