When my sister and I were kids we begged for a dog. We wanted one so very much. Sadly, my mom was not a dog person. Not even a little bit. Then, one glorious day, my dad came home with the news that a doctor he worked with at the hospital had a litter of puppies that needed homes- and my mom caved. I remember the excitement of picking out a puppy- the family had already named them all after characters from Popeye. Olive Oyl, Sweet Pea, Brutus, Popeye...we took the quiet and calm little guy they'd named Popeye home with us that day and he was a loyal friend to our family for the next 15 years. This was a dog who eagerly anticipated his very own pancake every Saturday morning. Every time my own kids ask for a dog I think back to Popeye and what a wonderful addition to our family he was. There's just one problem...turns out adult Nora is not at all a dog person. I'm working on it. I really am. While for now our loyal and lazy family cat of the last 10 years will have to do, eventually we'll get the kids a dog. When we do, I'll totally make him these doggie treats. :-) You might wonder why I churned out about 7 dozen of these adorable little guys the other day if we don't actually have a dog. No, I'm not just planning ahead for the inevitable day that I too cave and bring home a lovable family friend for my kids. My inlaws are definitely dog people. They have big, loyal, wonderful dogs with whom we love visiting. They're loved as part of the family, like all dogs should be. My mother-in-law mentioned that as much as her buddy Charlie loved peanut butter she was hesitant to give it to him anymore. It seems it was sticking to the roof of his mouth sometimes and really throwing him for a loop when he couldn't get it off. An idea was born...off to Amazon I rushed for this inexpensive and adorable little dog bone shaped cookie cutter. On to Allrecipes I dashed for a peanutbuttery dog treat recipe. The best part? I totally had every single ingredient in my pantry already. How great is that? Fair warning? While I didn't actually taste these things, I have to admit they smell AMAZING when you're mixing them up- I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't regular cookie dough! While I'm going to be keeping these in the freezer for when our furry extended family is around, they would make a wonderful Christmas gift for pet lovers in your life or your own doggie friends! Homemade Peanutbuttery Dog Treats Modified slightly from Allrecipes.com 1/2 C smooth peanut butter 1 C water 1/3 C vegetable oil 1 egg 1 Call-purpose flour 1 C corn flour (masa) 1 C cornmeal 1. Mix peanut butter, water, vegetable oil, and egg with a stand mixer. 2. Slowly mix in flour, corn flour, and cornmeal until combined. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4" to 1/2" thickness and cut into treat shapes with a cookie cutter. Place the treats onto the prepared cookie sheets. Chill in refrigerator another 10 minutes to help dough hold it's shape while baking. 4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the treats to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freezer.