Bake festive gingerbread cookies for your pup this Christmas! These gingerbread dog treats are flavored with cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

A while ago, Khaleesi’s stomach was upset (Khaleesi is my black GSD puppy). So, besides Moro’s carrot soup, I fed her browned apple with cinnamon and other spices every evening. She soon loved her evening spice mix. Therefore I thought I’d bake her gingerbread treats with cinnamon, cloves and ginger for Christmas!

Cinnamon, cloves and ginger are safe and even healthy for dogs (unlike nutmeg which is toxic for dogs when consumed in large amounts). There are two types of cinnamon: ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon. I used ceylon cinnamon because cassia cinnamon contains far more coumarin than ceylon cinnamon. While cassia cinnamon is still safe in small amounts, I chose ceylon cinnamon to be on the safe side. And ginger is just as healthy for dogs as it is for humans. Besides being a natural anti-inflammatory agent, it prevents nausea and helps to support digestion. Cloves (not to be confused with garlic cloves) are ok too. Even though they contain eugenol and shouldn’t be fed in large amount, cloves are safe in small amounts.

Gingerbread Dog Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tbsp dark molasses (or honey)
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line three baking sheets with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the gingerbread dog treats and knead until combined.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8″ (1/4 cm) thick and cut out shapes.

Bake the gingerbread dog treats for 10 minutes.

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