My dog Marco, a rescued Lab mix, is mad for peanut butter -- and squirrels.  The squirrels are a problem.  In an attempt to get his mind off them on walks, I came up with this version of a peanut buttery dog biscuit that is sturdy enough to stay together in a pocket.

Please note, you can substitute any kind of fat for the oil. This is a perfect place to use leftover bacon grease or drippings from browning meat. Just take care that it is not too salty or spicy.

And while we’re on the subject of substitutions, while the biscuits are not a square trade for a squirrel, they appear to be better than nothing.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional 1/4 - 1/3 cup as needed
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or other oil, see headnote
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Instructions

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, rolled oats, water, oil, eggs and peanut butter and mix until well combined. The mixture should be thick and easy to handle, not at all sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add small amounts of additional all-purpose flour until it is easy to handle. Alternately, mix ingredients by hand in a large bowl.

3. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes or alternatively roll the dough into 1 inch sized balls, perfect for a coat pocket.

4. Bake for 20 minutes until hard and crispy. Store tightly covered.