This special blog post is brought to you by Mei-i Zien, owner of maison de pawZ, a Parisian-inspired pâwtisseries, creating human grade, gluten + grain free dog treats and cakes to celebrate all occasions.
A Little Background:
maison de pawZ was created by Taiwanese doggy baker Mei-i Zien to reflect her love of the markets in Paris and NYC and their use of the freshest seasonal ingredients (because your dog deserves the best). Everyday's a party when you spoil your dog with their fresh baked dog cakes, pup-tarts and biscuits.
The limited ingredients in these artisanal dog biscuits are individually hand-cut and slow baked in small batches, with organic fruit & produce hand-picked from local NYC Green Markets’ farmers and other regional suppliers within the Hudson Valley when available.
All items in their pâwtisserie are all-natural with zero sugar, salt, preservatives, chemicals and by-products. maison de pawZ loves their four-legged customers and want to make sure they eat only the very best with ingredients that we would eat ourselves (and we have!).
Tyler, Mei-i’s dog who was a 14 yo miniature American Eskimo, was the inspiration for maison de pawZ and an official taste tester. His fur sibling, Marcel, has now taken over the honors of Chief Treat Officer. Marcel is a toothless, 14 yo long haired chihuahua rescued from a puppy mill in Oklahoma. His favorite treat is the Cheesy Sweet Potato Fries and Tuna Niçoise dog biscuits.
Now let's hear from Mei-i!
Saturday, August 26th is National Dog Day! This day was created to celebrate all dog breeds and bring awareness to rescue and shelter dogs. This day is even more special to me because six years ago, I adopted a long haired chihuahua from my local New York City rescue, Friends with Four Paws.
I was collaborating with the store CB2 on a campaign for National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day (April 30th) by providing mini bags of our limited ingredients, gluten + grain free dog biscuits at 10 of their store locations nationwide. They were working with local rescue organizations in each town or city where they were hosting the events, and having them bring in adoptable dogs for individuals to meet in person.
In Manhattan, CB2 was working with Foster Dogs who coordinated with various rescues around the city to bring adoptable dogs to both CB2 locations in the city. Marcel, then named Eddie, had just arrived from a puppy mill in Oklahoma. I had my first dog, Tyler, with me; he was a miniature American eskimo dog who was the original inspiration for maison de pawZ and the reason why I started baking dog treats for dogs with allergies. The two of them met and there was an instant connection that I couldn’t deny. I adopted Marcel (for Tyler) and put in the paperwork that day. When you know, you know! Our family was complete and I now had a second taste tester with an infinitely pickier palate.
So now I’m going to share an easy, but special treat that you can put together for your dog to celebrate the special day dedicated to our pooches!
We’re coming to the tail end of summer and thinking of all things fall…which means it’s PSL (pumpkin spice latte) season! Whether or not you hate it, pumpkin is a superfood for your dog and benefits them in many ways, including providing a lot of fiber for digestion. These nutty, pumpkin spice barkscotti not only contain superfoods that will give them a case of the zoomies, but will definitely make them drool as they wait for it.
All of the ingredients I use in our dog treat recipes are clean and human grade. What does human grade mean exactly? Yes, it can mean that your humans can take a bite of the treat; it may just taste like a drier, sugar + salt free treat. But using human grade ingredients means we are using ingredients that can be found in your kitchen with no chemicals or additives. A win-win for everyone all around!
Warning: your kitchen WILL smell like pumpkin pie as this bakes in the oven. So don’t feel guilty if you do take a bite, or a whole piece, of the barkscotti for yourself. 😉
NUTTY PUMPKIN SPICE BARKSCOTTI
Makes approximately 8-10 pieces of biscotti (or 20 minis)
INGREDIENTS:BARKSCOTTI:
1 cup organic almond flour (almond meal is not the same but has a more grainy texture)
½ cup organic white rice flour
1 tbsp organic flaxseed meal
¼ cup water + 3 tbsp
¼ cup organic pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp peanut butter, unsalted if possible *
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp organic coconut oil
2 tbsp crushed, unsalted pumpkin seeds **
2 tbsp jerky of choice, crushed into smaller pieces (optional)
ICING: (optional)
2 tbsp cornstarch flour
1 tbsp water
Drizzle of honey
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, add flaxseed meal and 3 tbsp water. Set to the side while you put together your barkscotti mixture. This activates the enzymes and makes it easier for your dog to digest.
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In a medium mixing bowl, add flours, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk together until blended.
- Add pumpkin, PB, and coconut oil. Use a hand mixer on lowest speed to mix together your dough.
- Slowly add water to your dough. Depending on the flour you purchase, you may need a little less/more water for your mixture. You want the dough to be smooth, but not tacky; it should not stick to your hands. If it is sticky, add a little more rice flour to the dough; if it’s looking a little dry, add a tsp of water at a time until the dough is smooth.
- Add pumpkin seeds and jerky into the dough and mix it in.
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Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. With your hands, form dough into a rectangular shape that is approximately 1.5” thick. If you have a smaller dog and would like to make mini size barkscotti, form two rectangular shaped doughs.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and it is all the same color.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before going to the next step.
- Using a serrated knife, slice diagonally and then place it on the cut side on the cookie sheet. Place back into the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven; flip the barkscotti to the other side and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. The barkscotti should be dry by this point and have a more crumbly texture. If you want it to be harder for your dog and have it last longer, you can bake for an additional 20 minutes to remove more moisture from the barkscotti.
- While the barkscotti is cooling, make your icing if you want to drizzle it on top of the barkscotti.
- Combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl. This hardens quickly, so don’t make the icing until you are ready to put it over your cool barkscotti. Drizzle over the tops or dip one side of each one into the icing. Top with crushed pumpkin seeds and/or jerky.
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Serve to your dog on its own or over a glass of raw goat's milk or a puppuccino (unsweetened whipped cream). ***
BONE-APPETIT!!
NOTES:
This recipe is a treat and should not be considered a meal substitute. Like any new treat, feed your dog a small amount to make sure there are no adverse effects. Treats should only make up 10% of your dog’s daily food intake for a healthy diet.
STORAGE: Refrigerate for 3-4 weeks. If drier, refrigerate for up to 2 months.
*Check the ingredients on the peanut butter to ensure that it does not contain xylitol. This is used as a sugar free substitute in many human foods, but is toxic for dogs to consume.
**Crush whole, raw pumpkin seeds by pulsing a food processor a few times. You don’t need it finely ground, just roughly crushed. If you don’t have a processor, feel free to put the seeds into a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to give it a few whacks.
You can follow maison de pawZ on Facebook, Instagram or X for behind-the-scenes access into the making of these gourmet baked goods, special events and more.
