It’s the holiday season, and lucky me, I just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Ok! Confession… the recipe came before the book on this one! I’ve been wanting to make homemade dog biscuits for some time… but in all fairness this book has been on my “to read” list forever! I’ve heard so many good things about Stein’s bestseller, and it certainly did not disappoint.

Anyone who knows me, would likely attest that I’m a “dog-person”. In fact, I’m sure my closest friends would argue that dog-person does not insinuate the amount of love I feel for man’s best friend. I spend more time than I’d care to admit researching adoptables on petfinder, perusing puppy videos (this one will forever be my favorite), checking out monthly vine compilations (don’t judge, just get hooked too) and showing every new person I meet my favorite new dogs’ instagram page (c’mon, Reese Lightning? goodness).

So, The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is told in the first person through the eyes of a family dog, made my top 10 list of favorite books before I even cracked the spine. But then made its way to my top 3 by the last chapter. Stein does a phenomenal job of reminding us all why we should be skeptical of people who don’t love dogs. His protagonist, Enzo, a philosophizing, cinephile mutt is lovable, comical and just downright sensible. He believes he will be reincarnated as a human, something he spends a great deal of time fantasizing about. The novel reminds us all of the beauties in life that we might be missing while we busy ourselves with our opposable thumbs. It also puts to shame the thought that a dog’s inner dialogue is nothing more than “Kibbles and Bits”. I cannot praise the beauty of Stein’s words enough. The cathartic ache in my heart when I finished reading reminds me of the first time I read to Kill a Mockingbird, where your brain stops and thinks, “how did I never think like this before?”. So trust me, even if you might side with cats (weird), this book will not disappoint.

Seeing as it’s the holiday season, I decided to whip up a batch of tasty treats for my favorite four legged friend: Mr. Charlie Pants. I wasn’t sure he would enjoy these very healthy and easy treats, but honestly he is going crazy for them. So! why not make these for your favorite pup and show him some love this Christmas season. In fact, I bet Santa wouldn’t mind if you left him a few.

The Art of Baking for your Can(ine)

1 cup of grated carrots (about 2 medium sized carrots)

1/2 cup organic chicken broth

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup ground oats

1 large egg

1 large sweet potato (cubed, boiled until soft and cooled)

In a large bowl mash the sweet potato and egg, until smooth. Add the chicken broth. In a second bowl combine the oats and whole wheat flour. Next add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, slowly, stirring to combine throughout. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Evenly flour a surface and roll out the dough (it helps to cool it slightly – in the fridge for about an hour!).

Use whatever cookie cutters you’ve got to cut out the cookies, or using a knife cut the cookies into squares. I got about 30 medium sized cookies out of this recipe. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, flipping once during cooking. Remove, let cool, get your dog a beggin’.