Cooking Lesson #28— Max’s Doggie Walking Treats

How you doin’? I feel like such a bobble head as we have been going through such a ruf time. I have remembered to help everyone with some interesting and helpful recipes to save both time and money but have overlooked poor Rover.

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Max (skinny days) & Snickers (puppy)

Let me start from the beginning. Have you ever asked your dog, do you want a cookie? The reaction is usually immediate recognition and in-your-face panting. Even when Max (the fattest dog in the world) was in his twilight years, he could still hear a cookie break a hundred yards away. Max’s brother, Snickers (the sweetest, but dumbest dog in the world) had a skin allergy and would only eat chicken liver pâté that I made most weekends. Max, on the other hand, would anything— except green peas— and had serious lust for Trader Joe’s peanut butter dog snacks… that was before the invention of Max’s Doggie Walking Treats. 
 
What Max and Snickers (and many other dogs in this world) had in common is what we called a love of walking treats. They knew that the early morning walk was always rewarded with Max’s Doggie Walking Treats. So, this one is for all the wonderful, loyal canines out there who have dutifully been keeping you company while you are home on lockdown sharing their space and time. Arf, arf, arf!
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time:  3-hours 30 minutes
Cool time:  20 minutes
Yield:  50 doggie treats
 
Ingredients
 For the treat
16 ounces sliced bacon, uncooked, cut into 1-inch wide pieces
16 ounces liver or other organ meat, uncooked, cut in to 1/2-inch pieces (I used chicken livers)
3.75 ounces fine corn meal
12.75 ounces all-purpose flour
8 ounces chicken stock or whatever stock you have on hand
 
For the glaze
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoons egg white
 
Directions

1. Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
2. Preheat an oven to 250⁰F.
3. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
4. Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
5. Cut liver or organ meat into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
6. In a small bowl, combine ketchup and egg to make the dog treat glaze: set aside.
7. Using a large sauté pan over high heat, cook the bacon for about 10 minutes, until the fat is fully rendered the bacon is a rich golden brown.
8. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain the pieces on paper towels.
9. Pour off most of the bacon fat and add the liver/organ meat to the same pan.
10. Sauté, turning the liver and pressing it slightly with the back of a spoon until it's broken down into a paste and remove from the heat. If you're using other organ meat that doesn't break down, cook the bits well.
11. Place the cooked bacon in a food processor and pulse to grind it.
12. Add the cooked livers or organ meat to the bacon and process to combine.
13. Add the cornmeal and process until you have a coarse mixture.
14. Transfer the mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and slowly add the flour and mix to combine.
15. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and mix until the dough begins to pull together around the paddle and feels moist to the touch.
16. Press the dough between your fingers. The dough should feel moist enough to hold together, but not gummy. The dough will feel smooth and a little elastic but should roll easily without sticking.
17. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it just enough to combine. You may need to add more flour to keep it from sticking.
18. Roll out the dough to about 1/3 inch thick.
19. Using your favorite dog themed cutter, cut out the treats.
20. Arrange them on the prepared sheet pans. The cookies will not spread in the oven so add more than usual.
21. Knead the trimmings together, roll out again, and cut out as many treats as possible.
22. Bake at 250⁰ F until the treats are completely dry, about 3 hours (1-1/2 hours in a convection oven).
23. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 200⁰ F.
24. Brush the glaze over warm treats just out of the oven.
25. Return the pans to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the glaze has set.
26. Place the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the treats to the rack to cool completely.
27. The treats keep well stored in a covered container for up to 1 month.
    

#DogTreats #PamperedPets #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #CanineComfortFoods

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