How to use fruit purees in dog treats ?

by Karen Dahms

I have began testing my dog treats for a home based business I would like to start. I am having a terrible problem with the fruit and veggie treats. I am pureeing the fruit and veggies and the dough turns out like chewy rubber to roll, it also springs back when rolling. It bakes like rubber and it is worse when dehydrated. I don't know why, can you tell me what I might be doing wrong? Is it possible to use the freeze dried powder and how do I use it instead? I am not doing to well and I am getting very discouraged. I have one peanut butter recipe after 4 weeks of testing. I hope you can help.

Thank You

Chef's Answer ~ That does sound very frustrating. Since I don't know the whole recipe you are using, I can only guess at what is not working. What I do know about working with fruit puree (which is very little), is that you can successfully replace 1/2 of the fat in a baked good. For example, if your dog treat recipe had 1/8 cup of canola oil you could use 1 tbsp of puree and 1 tbsp of canola oil.

Another thing to keep in mind is to try not to over mix your batter. Stir it gently until just combined. This will cut down on the treats being tough and rubbery. It also may help to refrigerate the dough for approximately 30 minutes before rolling.

I don't know much about working with dried fruit and veggie powder, so I'm afraid I can't help you there. I would imagine that it is a trial and error situation. My best guess is to make small batches and slowly add different amounts of the powder. I would start at (depending on the size of your batch) about 1/2 tsp of dried veggies.

I hope that has helped! :) Happy Dog Treat Baking (and testing)! :)