National Oatmeal Cookie Day Has Gone To The Dogs!

National Oatmeal Cookie Day is celebrated each year on April 30th and it's the perfect opportunity to celebrate these satisfyingly delicious cookies. Although they've been around since the 1800's, oatmeal cookies really gained popularity in the 1900's when a recipe appeared on all Quaker Oats containers being sold in the United States. Oatmeal cookies are a good source of iron and fiber, making them a healthier-for-you cookie choice.Having said all that, however, I have to come clean. I've never really liked oatmeal cookies. I have a recipe that I've made for years to give away as gifts and the recipients rave about them, so I know it's just me and my taste buds. But given that dogs can have oatmeal too, I decided to give oatmeal cookies another try, this time with an eye toward a cookie I could share with my canine companions. Obviously, these cookies would need to be free of added sugar, raisins (those are toxic to dogs), and chocolate (also toxic!), so that presented even more of a challenge to find something we'd both enjoy eating. It took me a while, but I finally found two recipes that were safe, delicious, and appealing to my dogs, and ones which I could eat without grimacing!If you also enjoy bananas (which I do!), then this is the recipe for you. Do add a dash of cinnamon to this recipe as it really kicks the flavor up a notch and there are health benefits for you and your dog in that cinnamon.You can find this recipe, and others, in Serena Faber-Nelson's wonderful dog recipe book, “Healthy Homemade Dog Treats.”If peanut butter is more your thing, then this will be your new go-to oatmeal cookie recipe.Just remember to choose peanut or another nut butter that is made without Xylitol, a sugar substitute, which is deadly to dogs. While this recipe called for chunky peanut butter, I prefer the smooth variety, and opted for organic peanut butter to ensure the quality of my finished cookies.While I'm still not a huge fan of oatmeal cookies in general, I do love being able to share these cookies, guilt-free, with my dogs. The bonus? The rest of my family loves them as well. That's a win-win for me.