Our Fave Fall-Treat Recipes
We’ve never been so thrilled to say Happy Fall Y’all! After record-breaking heat and humidity and months on end of scorching temps in much of the country this past summer, we’re all ready to enjoy some crisp autumn days with our equine partners and best friends. Since the season also calls for pumpkin-spice everything, we wanted to share some delicious recipes that our equine partners can savor, too!
As the fall foliage begins to cast its golden hues, get in the baking mood with an autumn-scented candle and your favorite fall beverage. (Pumpkin-spiced latte not required, but highly encouraged!)
Here’s a collection of our favorite fall recipes for our four-legged friends:
SmartPak Recipe: DIY Pumpkin-Spice Oatmeal Pony Cookies
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whole oats (quick or old-fashioned oats work well, too)
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour (or regular flour)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
Optional ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon honey or molasses (to provide a little extra sweetness and help bind the ingredients)
- Dash of turmeric (Read more about the health benefits of turmeric for horses.)
- Chia seeds (Learn more about the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in chia seeds.)
- Sugar-free applesauce, apple cubes, shredded carrots, or sliced bananas (These extras just provide additional flavor. You can include a little bit of all, or if your horse adores a particular flavor, focus on that ingredient!)
Supplies:
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon or hand mixer
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Cookie sheets
- Spatula
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Gather all ingredients, a large mixing bowl, mixing spoon, and measuring cups. You will also need a greased baking pan or cookie sheet.
Step 3: Thoroughly mix the pumpkin puree and water together until the consistency is gooey—almost like baby food. Continue mixing past this point and add the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then add any optional ingredients your horse might enjoy. If you opt for extra ingredients that tend to hold more water like applesauce or bananas, we recommend cutting back on the amount of water or pumpkin puree used. Otherwise, the mix will be too watery.
Step 4: Since the mix will still have more of a liquid consistency, we recommend using a medium-sized spoon versus your hands to form the cookie balls. Simply dole out spoonfuls of the mix onto your greased cookie sheet. You can make them as large or as small as you like. If you happen to have an easy keeper, smaller cookies will make your horse feel like he’s getting more treats. If you want make your cookies more festive or aesthetically appealing, you can use an autumn- or horse-themed cookie cutter to create your treats.
Step 5: Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. If you find your horse prefers his treats to be on the crunchier side, leave them in oven a little longer. At 20 minutes, they’ll be done but will be a little soft. At 25 minutes, the edges usually start to brown a bit. This recipe yields about 36 cookies but will vary depending on the size of your treats.
Step 6: Enjoy watching your horse gobble these tasty pumpkin-spice treats!
SmartPak Recipe: No-Bake Maple Banana Oat Horse Treats
As busy horse owners, we love this recipe because it’s super easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of fancy kitchen equipment. And if your horse likes bananas, she's in for a treat!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup dried baby bananas, sliced
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Supplies needed:
- Mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Small cookie scoop (optional)
Directions:
Step 1. Slice the baby bananas. If your local grocery store doesn’t offer these, you can substitute with banana chips (chips without any added sugar are best). As a last option, apples would also work great for this recipe.
Step 2. Next, melt the coconut oil. Using a microwaveable bowl, heat oil in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Then, stir and repeat until it has a batter- or oil-like consistency, so you can measure it out.
Step 3. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and fold them together! For any “Schitt’s Creek” fans or new bakers out there, “folding” refers to using a rubber spatula to scrape the mix toward you from the bottom of the bowl. Continue scraping up the bowl’s side and gently flip the spatula to layer the mixture over the top of itself.
Step 4. Finally, use a small cookie scoop, spoon, or clean hands to portion out small amounts of the mixture and then form into balls. The size of your treats will determine the amount this recipe yields, but you should get about 12.
Step 5. Once you’ve formed all the treats, place them in a Tupperware container and store them in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Since the coconut oil was melted into the mixture, refrigerating the treats will allow them to set and not fall apart. Once the treats have sufficiently set, they’re ready for your horse to enjoy!
SmartPak Recipe: Low-Sugar Apple Horse Cookies
If you need to limit your horse’s sugar intake due to Equine Metabolic Syndrome, insulin resistance, laminitis risk, or any number of other health concerns, we included these low- and no-sugar recipes to ensure our easy keepers also get to enjoy goodies this fall!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound bag of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Ground Flaxseed (sold at most grocery stores)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 cups hot water
Supplies:
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowl
Directions:
Step 1: Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. (Do NOT use cooking spray, oil, or butter).
Step 2: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 3: Pour entire contents of 1-pound bag of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Ground Flaxseed into a mixing bowl. Then, add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and stir the mixture well.
Step 4: Next, add applesauce, but do not mix yet! (Half a cup is equivalent to one of the single-serving containers.) Add 2 cups of hot water. We’ve found the hotter the water, the better the flaxseed mixes with the other ingredients. Vigorously stir the mixture with a rubber spatula and then use your hands until the consistency is blended and smooth.
Step 5: Once blended, spread the mixture across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a rubber spatula and/or your hands. Spread evenly until the sheet is completely covered. The thinner you spread it, the crunchier your treats will be.
Step 6: Use the rubber spatula to cut the batter into squares before baking. This will make the treats easier to break apart after cooking. You can make the treats as big or as small as you’d like. We’ve found 1-inch squares work well.
Step 7: Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 75 minutes. The longer they bake, the crunchier they’ll be. If you have an older horse who prefers a soft, chewy cookie, stick to baking for around 60 minutes. (This also allows you to break the squares up into even smaller pieces when feeding, so your horse feels like he’s scoring tons of treats!)
Step 8: After your treats have finished baking to your desired texture, turn off the oven, and let them sit while the oven is still warm for about 30 minutes. The treats will shrink slightly during baking, but they’ll easily break apart once cool.
Step 9: Surprise your horse with these fun, autumn treats that are also low in sugar (NSC: 2.4). We hear these cookies are dog-approved, too!
Tip: After breaking the final product apart into separate treats, store any extras in zip-closure baggies or Tupperware containers to help keep them fresh. To make them last even longer, we recommend keeping them in the fridge or freezer.
SmartPak Recipe: No-Sugar Pumpkin Horse Treats
Ingredients:
- 1 can Pumpkin
- 4 cups whole or old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup water
- Cinnamon to taste
Supplies:
- Mixing bowl
- Non-stick pan
- Spatula or large spoon
- Measuring cup
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then form teaspoon-sized balls with the mixture and place them on a non-stick cooking pan.
Step 3: Bake treats in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from oven and allow treats to cool.
Step 5: Share these tasty pumpkin snacks with your horse! These are super easy to make; plus, they make your kitchen smell amazing and festive!
Looking for recipes ideas for festive fall dog treats? We certainly wouldn't want our canine besties to miss out on the pumpkin-spice season! SmartPaker Erika shares her pups' favorite homemade, autumn-themed recipes here: