Cut-out Christmas biscuits for dogs
Stars, Christmas trees, hearts: these biscuits look like traditional Christmas biscuits but are made only of apple, carrot, egg and wholemeal flour. Without cinnamon, nutmeg or sugar – the dough is easy to roll out and cut, including together with children.
Updated on
- Per biscuit
- ≈ 20 kcal
- Makes
- approx. 50 biscuits
- Total time
- 1 hr 55 min
Ingredients
for approx. 50 biscuits
- Apple, peeled, cored, finely grated1 small apple100 g
- Carrot, finely grated1 carrot100 g
- Egg1 medium egg, shelled50 g
- Wholemeal wheat flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)250 g
Total dough approx. 500 g · Shape: stars, trees, hearts, approx. 4 cm. Always weigh flour, oats and meat – by eye, biscuits quickly end up bigger and higher in calories.
Ingredients checked
How to bake Christmas biscuits
- Peel the apple and remove the core. Grate the apple and carrot on the fine side of the grater.
- Knead with the egg and flour into a smooth dough. If it is sticky, add 1–2 tbsp more flour; if it is crumbly, add 1 tbsp of water.
- Leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170 °C conventional (150 °C fan).
- Roll it out about 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut out stars, trees or hearts with cutters (approx. 4 cm). If you like, brush them with a little beaten egg – that gives them a shine.
- Bake on baking paper for 25–30 minutes.
- Leave them to dry for an hour in the switched-off oven with the door slightly open, then let them cool.
Oven
170 °C conventional (150 °C fan)
Baking time
30 min + 1 hr drying in the oven
Prep
25 min
Makes approx. 50 biscuits at ~20 kcal each
A baked biscuit weighs about 7 g. Nutrient values per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) (FDC number under each ingredient); water has no kcal.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal/100 g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple, peeled, cored, finely gratedUSDA FDC 171689 | 100 g | 48 | 48 |
| Carrot, finely gratedUSDA FDC 170393 | 100 g | 41 | 41 |
| EggUSDA FDC 171287 | 50 g | 143 | 72 |
| Wholemeal wheat flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)USDA FDC 168944 | 250 g | 332 | 830 |
| Total ÷ 50 biscuits | 991 ÷ 50 = 20 | ||
How many Christmas biscuits your dog can have a day
Enter weight, age and exercise – the number of biscuits updates instantly.
- If your dog gets other treats or chews that day, give fewer biscuits accordingly.
- Reduce the daily ration by these 59 kcal – that's about 16 g of dry food.
How the number is worked out
Resting energy requirement 70 × 10 kg^0.75 ≈ 394 kcal × factor 1.6 ≈ 630 kcal a day. No more than 10% of that for treats = 63 kcal. 63 kcal ÷ 20 kcal per biscuit = 3.2 → rounded down to 3 biscuits.
The 10% rule comes from the WSAVA's guidance on treats.
Result · Adult
Up to 3 biscuits
Christmas biscuits a day
Treat budget 63 kcal (10% of 630 kcal) · 1 biscuit ≈ 20 kcal
The DoggoMeal app works out main meals in grams per ingredient to suit your dog.Storage · about 2 weeks
Apple and carrot bring moisture with them, so dry the biscuits well. After that they keep for about 2 weeks in a biscuit tin, or around 3 months frozen. As a gift: write the ingredients and the baking date on the label.
Suits
- Meat-free
- Dairy-free
- Baking with children
- For giving as gifts
Contains
- Wheat (gluten)
- Egg
Important for this recipe
- No Christmas spices: nutmeg is toxic to dogs, and a dog biscuit doesn't need cinnamon, cloves or gingerbread spice.
- Don't decorate them with icing, chocolate or sprinkles.
- Christmas biscuits for people are off limits – they often contain raisins, chocolate, macadamia nuts, nutmeg or xylitol.
- Always off-limits: sugar, salt, xylitol, chocolate, raisins, onion, garlic, macadamia nuts and nutmeg – see all the basic rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many Christmas biscuits can my dog have a day?
One biscuit has about 20 kcal. Treats should make up no more than 10% of daily calories. That means a neutered, normally active dog weighing 5 kg can have about 1 biscuit a day, a 10 kg dog about 3 biscuits and a 25 kg dog about 6 biscuits – with the main meal made correspondingly smaller. The biscuit calculator on this page works it out for your dog.
Can dogs eat ordinary Christmas biscuits?
No. Biscuits for people contain sugar and often chocolate, raisins, macadamia nuts or nutmeg – some of which are toxic to dogs. If your dog has got hold of chocolate, raisins or anything containing xylitol, call your vet straight away.
Can I give the biscuits as presents?
Yes, once thoroughly dried they keep for about two weeks. Pack them in a jar or bag and write the ingredients and baking date on the label – handy for dog-loving friends dealing with allergies.
Can I use spelt flour instead of wheat flour?
Yes, wholemeal spelt flour works just the same. For dogs that don't tolerate grain, the grain-free biscuits with chickpea flour are the better choice.
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Bake biscuits, keep track of the daily ration
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