Cute carob dipped dog treats are an easy special upgrade for homemade or bought treats. Making dipped treats is a fast and fun DIY for kids, special party treats, or adding a personal touch to last-minute gifts. Here are the DIY details for making and using a simple carob dog treat dip. Check out our post on decorating dog treats for more doggone great ideas.
Making Dog Treats with Carob Melts and Drops
Carob vs. Chocolate
In terms of dog-friendly cooking, carob is the way to go. Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. It can also contain other doggy no-nos like caffeine, sugars, or sweeteners. Pure carob powder is delicious and nutritious, but carob melts and drops may be a little naughtier. Many are a combination of sugars and oils with carob powder, some are unsweetened carob and oil mixtures. Even carob melts and drops marketed as dog treats are often sweetened. Yogurt drops, too. There’s nothing wrong with an occasional special treat, but always read your ingredients to know what you’re buying and eating or sharing.
Cranky Carob
Carob drops can be tricky to melt compared to chocolate, as the carob is usually drier and lower in fat. Combining the carob with a fatty add-in, like peanut butter, and gently microwaving them together can help. If peanut butter isn’t your thing, you can use a different dog-friendly add-in, like coconut oil. How much you can add will vary depending on your individual ingredients. Texture varies depending on your carob, but in our experiments over the years, we can go as high as a roughly 50-50 mix with smooth peanut butter and carob drops. It will solidify into a solid fudgey state that holds its shape well (especially if kept chilled).
Homemade Carob and Peanut Butter Dog Treat Dip
Carob Dipped Dog Treats with Optional Sprinkles
There are no measurements below as the treats can be entirely scaled to suit your preference on quantity and firmness of set (how much or how little peanut butter to use). I’m using ready-made treats for these dipped treats, but you can use homemade treats. Make sure they’re a compatible scent and flavour, and fully cooled before you start dipping.
Treat Ingredients:
- Carob drops or melts
- Smooth peanut butter
- Dog treat biscuits (cookies)
- Optional: Finely chopped peanuts, desiccated coconut, or other dog-friendly sprinkles
As noted above, coconut oil can be used instead of peanut butter if your house is peanut free or you prefer not sharing peanut butter with the dogs. You may need to chill the treats to keep them firm, depending on the quantity you use and your ambient temperatures. Peanut butter and chocolate are one of my favourite human combinations, so I’ve carried it through to these treats.
Making the Treats:
- Measure desired quantities of carob and peanut butter into a microwave-safe bowl. No more than 50-50 maximum in our experience, as per the notes above, else the carob won’t set firm.
- Microwave on medium heat, stirring to combine and melt. Take care not to shortcut with high temperatures or overheat. Carob can be cranky as noted above.
- Line a plate or tray with baking parchment, waxed paper, or a reusable liner.
- Dip one or both ends of your biscuit treats into the melted carob mixture, lay on the lined plate, and sprinkle (optional).
- Allow to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator until completely set before handling.
Carob can be tricky to melt as noted above, but being enveloped in warm melted peanut butter helps. Microwaving on short bursts and stirring frequently is key to getting a melted mix without overheating. I find (for my ingredients and equipment) microwaving for a total time of one minute at medium usually does the trick, but the mix can be returned for more heating if/as needed. For a little extra caution, you can pre-melt your peanut butter and stir in the carob to get it a head start on melting before adding any extra heat.
Treat Making Tips and Tricks
- When using ingredients like peanut butter for dogs, take care when shopping to avoid artificial sweeteners, particularly xylitol, which is extremely dangerous for dogs. Xylitol may also be labelled as sweetener code 967.
- If using sprinkles, ensure that they are suitably sized for your pet. For example, my big dogs are ok with finely chopped peanuts as shown, however, they may be too large for smaller pets to safely eat. If in doubt, leave them out.
- These treats can be refrigerated and/or frozen. Just like human chocolates (especially non-tempered), you may see a little clouding on the surface after chilling. It’s perfectly normal and still delicious.
More Doggone Great Decorating Ideas
Dipping with a melt-and-set coating, like we did with these dog treats, is a quick and cute way to make treats extra special, whether bought or homemade. It’s also family friendly, as long as you’re careful with temperatures for handling and don’t mind a little mess. DIY doggy bags? Doggone great! And you can do the same with cookies for people, too. Fun! Just don’t mix them up. Hahaha…
Using melt-and-set coatings is just one of the many dog treat decorating ideas on the blog. Check out our pet chef help post on decorating homemade dog treats for a summary of different techniques, and you can explore our archives using the DIY dog treat decoratiing ideas tag for ideas. Have something specific in mind? You can use the internal site search tool to sniff it out.
Hungry for more tasty treats? There are all sorts of different DIY dog treats here on the blog. Please remember that treats (bought or homemade) are for spoiling your pup in moderation. Woofs! We share ideas here from treats that we make ourselves for our pets, but different animals will have different preferences (likes/dislikes) and dietary needs. Some pets may have special dietary requirements and/or food allergies/intolerances. If you are ever in doubt or have questions about what’s suitable for your pet, have a chat with your trusted vet.
