Anise Dog Treats – Recipe

Paris Permenter & John Bigley Last updated on April 20, 2020

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Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner so I wanted to come up with a canine twist on a traditional Mexican cookie–anise dog treats! Dogs love anise (much like some cats love catnip).

I’ve modified this recipe for Bizcochitos, a traditional Mexican Christmas cookie, to transform it into a special occasion dog treat. The human version also has sugar, salt, and brandy and doesn’t include the molasses we’ve used for the dog treat!

You’ll need your favorite flour, butter, molasses (blackstrap is best), an egg, baking powder, and anise seed for this easy recipe.

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees, greasing two cookie sheets, and gathering the ingredients together.

I’d never purchased anise seed before but the smell is wonderful…

Mix all the ingredients together; the result is a heavy, slightly sticky dough.

Since the dough’s a little sticky for rolling out and cutting into shapes, I just pinched off small pieces about the size of a large marble, rolled each one in my palms and slightly flattened it before putting it on the cookie sheet. Quick and easy!

Pop the cookie sheets in the preheated oven; these cook quickly so they’ll be ready in about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely before refrigerating (and your kitchen will smell wonderful in the meantime!)

Our dogs loved this special canine version of Bizcochitos, a fun treat to make if you’ll be hosting a Cinco de Mayo party with some dog guests this week!

And in the photo of the finished treats at the top of this post is a little copy of a statue of two dancing Xolos, the Mexican hairless dog, that stands in Colima, Mexico. Here’s our photo of the real thing!

Anise Dog Treats

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons anise seed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two cookie sheets.
2. Mix all the ingredients together; the result is a heavy, slightly sticky dough.
3. Pinch small pieces about the size of a large marble, roll between your palms and slightly flatten with a fork before putting it on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven; these cook quickly so they’ll be ready in about 15 minutes.
5. Let the dog treats cool completely before refrigerating (and your kitchen will smell wonderful in the meantime!)
6. Refrigerate for a week or freeze for longer storage.

Cooks: Don’t miss our My Dog Says I’m a Great Cook™ cookbook with over 100 dog treat recipes from the publishers, readers and fans of DogTipper! This paperback book is available directly from our PawZaar shop or from Amazon!

First published on DogTipper in 2010.