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Old 05-02-2016, 05:53 AM
 
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I make my own dog treats in quantity for myself and friends, but it seems to take forever to cut out the individual cookies.

I don't do anything fancy- I roll out the dough and use simple round circle cutters of various sizes.

I can vary the consistency of the dough, so I am wondering if there is a more efficient way to cut the individual cookies in order to streamline the process? Do you think the cookie presses would be a good option if I change the consistency of the dough? Or maybe a pastry bag?

Any suggestions or advice? The dogs don't care what the cookies look like, and I make the dough from scratch of course, so I have a fair amount of flexibility on my end. If it matters, I like the cookies to be crunchy rather than soft.

Thank you!
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Old 05-02-2016, 06:01 AM
 
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Roll the dough out and slice like short bread.
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Old 05-02-2016, 07:02 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
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I make dog treats sometimes too, but the consistency of my dough wouldn't work in the cookie press. Usually the dough for the cookie press needs a certain amount of fat in order to be soft enough for the press, but not too sticky to go through and separate into individual cookies, and not so thin that it just oozes up beyond the plunger of the press. A pastry bag needs a dough with a very soft consistency or you need a very tough bag and very strong arms.

If you use a dough that does not spread at all while baking, you can roll it out directly onto the baking sheet (or parchment on the baking sheet) and cut the cookies very close together, then pull up the excess dough to roll out again. That's how I do my dog treats. It doesn't take long to make them. I usually add some cornmeal to the dough and that keeps the treats from spreading while baking.

Also, some cookie cutters are easier to cut close together than others. A dog bone shaped cutter is good for this, better than a round cutter.

Another option would be just to roll the dough out, cut into squares with a wheel cutter (a pizza cutter, or the kind with multiple wheels that you can get from a restaurant supply), separate and then bake.
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Old 05-02-2016, 08:09 AM
 
Location: On the sunny side of a mountain
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Back when I had dogs that liked my cookies I give up on using cookie cutters and just sliced them with a pizza wheel into squares. Then I baked them off and froze them in ziplock bags so I only had to bake once a month or so.
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Old 05-02-2016, 08:19 AM
 
Location: Chicago. Kind of.
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Couldn't you form the dough into a log, wrap it in parchment, chill it, then just slice it? Not being sarcastic - seriously - just wondering if that might work - you can make them as thin/thick as you want and you can do a lot pretty quickly.


PS - could you maybe please pretty please share the recipe? I haven't baked for the Absolute No Doubt About It Don't Even Question It King Of The House yet, but it's going to be a kind of nice week this week - maybe Chester and I will bake.


I might even bake Brownies for the husband if it's REALLY nice out!
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Old 05-02-2016, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Western Colorado
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I also make my own dog treats, and just cut them up. The dogs don't care if they have cute shapes, they eat them anyway.
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Old 05-02-2016, 11:25 AM
 
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I agree with the other poster. Chill dough a bit and roll into a log. You can even shape the log into a dog bone and then chill again. I would roll into an oval log and then indent it with a dowel till you get the shape you want before slicing.


Slice. It's what I do with cookies.
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Old 05-02-2016, 01:15 PM
 
Location: Inman Park (Atlanta, GA)
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Cookie dough roller? I am sure you could find one less expensive than the one below.

http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-...+Cutter+Roller
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Old 05-02-2016, 05:53 PM
 
1,727 posts, read 1,979,021 times
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Thank you all for your suggestions! I never learned to bake, so making dog treats has been learned largely by trial and error

I love all your ideas, but I especially like the idea a couple of you mentioned of rolling the dough into a roll then chilling and cutting it. That may be the most time efficient because it wouldn't require pulling up and re-rolling any excess left from a cutter.

I am going to experiment a bit though. I like the idea of a cookie dough roller but will also try cutting a batch with the pizza cutter.

Thank you all for your great ideas!
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Old 05-02-2016, 06:14 PM
 
1,727 posts, read 1,979,021 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Missy2U View Post
PS - could you maybe please pretty please share the recipe? I haven't baked for the Absolute No Doubt About It Don't Even Question It King Of The House yet, but it's going to be a kind of nice week this week - maybe Chester and I will bake.
Here is the "recipe" I have been using; it is an adaptation of a basic cookie recipe that I change up a bit each time.

Chicken and cheese dog treats:

2 1/2 c. rice or oat flour more or less to get the dough a nice consistency ( I don't use wheat or corn)
2 eggs
1 c. real chicken broth skimmed for fat
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
3-4 tblsp cheddar cheese finely grated
1/4 tsp baking powder

Mix, roll, cut/slice about 1/2" thick per your method of choice, and cook until just light brown and firm to touch.

I also do a bacon/cheese variation and a really disgusting foul smelling sardine/tuna variation.

Because of the fish and/or chicken content, I keep enough for a week in the 'frig and freeze the rest so they don't spoil.

The dogs love them all
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