Cranberry Dog Treats

When you're putting together your cookie plates this holiday season, don't forget about the pups in your life! Bake these easy-to-make Cranberry Dog Treats and gift them to the dogs of your family and friends.

Jump to:

• 🐶 Can dogs eat cranberries?
• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 How to make cranberry dog treats
• 🙋‍♀️ Can humans eat them?
• ⏲ How to store
• 💡 Substitutions
• 🦴 More dog treat recipes for gifting
• 📖 Recipe

Don't forget about your pup this holiday season! And the pups of your family, friends, and neighbors. They all deserve gifts, too!

While my dog loves presents of all kinds, including toys and clothes (yes, she really does love clothing!), I don't know any dogs that would turn down the gift of treats. And homemade treats are the perfect way to show your love.

My own pup Winnie is my sous chef and taste tester, so you should know that these cranberry dog treats have been 100% approved by her and the recipe is perfect for you to make for all the dogs in your life.

Whether you're making these treats for your own dog or for the dogs of your loved ones, something tells me you'll be getting a new best friend or two this holiday season!

🐶 Can dogs eat cranberries?

Yes! I discovered Winnie's love for cranberries when I accidentally dropped one on the floor and she grabbed it to bat it around and play with. She decided to take a bite and I could tell by the look on her face that it was not what she was expecting.

Obviously cranberries are quite tart and can be a bit off-putting, but Winnie was oddly intrigued and actually seemed to like them! So, I immediately did some research to make sure they were safe for her.

You should always check with your vet before feeding your dog a new food, but in general, cranberries are safe for dogs. They are high in fiber and antioxidants and are actually quite healthy for dogs when given in moderation (source).

You can even give your dog dried cranberries, but just be careful since dried cranberries can look very similar to raisins (which you should never feed your dog). Also note that dried cranberries will have some added sugar, which you may want to avoid for your pups.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

You'll love these cranberry dog treats because they're easy to make and your dog will be begging for them!

They also make the perfect holiday gift for anyone in your life who has a dog that's special to them.

You can make the treats in any shape and size you want. And you can even add a couple to your holiday cookie platters.

🗒 Ingredients

The ingredients are pretty simple for these treats and you can feel free to make substitutions as desired.

Here's everything you need (please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Almond flour: I like using almond flour for these treats since it's a bit healthier than all-purpose, but you can easily substitute with all-purpose flour with a 1:1 ratio if you want or use an all-purpose whole wheat flour combination
• Rolled oats
• Chopped fresh cranberries
• Lightly beaten egg
• Honey: You can substitute with maple syrup if you prefer
• Melted coconut oil: You can substitute with olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sunflower oil, but note that the coconut oil does add some good flavor.

👩‍🍳 How to make cranberry dog treats

Making the dog treats is just as easy as it is to make any cut-out cookie!

To start, be sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour and rolled oats.

Add chopped cranberries, lightly beaten egg, honey, and melted coconut oil to the bowl with the flour and oats.

And mix together until just combined.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a ¼-inch thick round.

Cut out cookies using cookie cutter of any shape and size. I used a 3-inch dog bone here, but you can make them much smaller if you want to give your dog more of them.

Place cookies on your prepared baking sheet. But also be sure to re-roll any dough scraps to cut out as many cookies as you can!

I got about 20 with the 3-inch cookie cutters, but obviously how many treats you get will depend on the size you're making them.

Bake the treats for about 12-15 minutes, until they're turning golden around the edges.

Let cookies rest in in pan for about 5 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.

They're such fun little Christmas dog bones! Though you can, of course, make them in any shape and give them to your dog any time of year.

They'd also be pretty as hearts for Valentine's Day. Just be sure to stash a bag of fresh cranberries in your freezer in case they're hard to find come February.

But now for the real test... Does the dog of the house like them??

I'm going with a huge resounding YES!

I couldn't believe how quickly Winnie took to these as she is a very picky dog when it comes to treats. I think I may have fed her a couple too many in all my excitement over how much she liked them.

I don't have children of my own, but I imagine it's how you feel after you work hard on cooking or baking something and your picky child actually enjoys it. And begs for more.

Hooray!

And because my picky dog loves these cranberry dog treats, I think they're a great option to bake for all the dogs in your life, too!

🙋‍♀️ Can humans eat them?

Great question! And the answer is yes. While these cranberry treats are for dogs, they are obviously made with all human grade ingredients and humans can definitely eat them, too.

I do prefer my cookies a little bit sweeter, but overall, I did think these were quite tasty!

⏲ How to store

Once they're cooled, store these cranberry dog treats in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep fresh for about a week when stored properly.

💡 Substitutions

Don't tell my pup this, but one of my favorite things about making dog treats is that they don't have to be absolutely perfect. Dogs don't generally judge if cookies don't have the perfect consistency or balance of flavors if you're feeding them a yummy treat.

That means you can be a little more flexible when it comes to substituting ingredients in a dog treat than you can a human treat.

Here are a couple options (again, be sure to check with your vet about dog-safe ingredients):

• Use the flour of your choice: It's easy to substitute flours as long as they can be used at a 1:1 ratio with all-purpose flour. I like using almond flour, but you could use whole wheat, cassava flour, brown rice flour, oat flour, or chickpea flour.

• You can use dried cranberries instead of fresh, but I do recommend looking for a dried cranberry that's low in sugar.

• If you don't have honey, you can swap with a different sweetener like maple syrup, coconut syrup, or even molasses.

• The coconut oil does add a bit of nice flavor (and my dog seems to LOVE coconut oil!), but if you don't have any you can replace with any oil that's safe for dogs like olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sunflower oil.

🦴 More dog treat recipes for gifting

Maybe you want to build an entire dog cookie platter (no?? Just me??) or maybe you just want a few other options when it comes to holiday dog treats. All of these are great options for gifting during the holiday season:

• Sweet Potato Dog Treats
• Beet Cookies for Dogs
• Chicken Dog Treats
• Banana Donuts for Dogs
• Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes
• Peanut Butter Cheddar Dog Bones
• Cheezy Dog Treats (from Miss Molly Says)

I also love making Winnie Gingerbread Puppuccinos during the holiday season!

I hope you and all the pups in your life are having a very happy holiday season and enjoying lots of cookies and special treats!

Does your dog like cranberries?

📖 Recipe