Homemade Horsey Gifts: Homemade Horse Cookies

There’s a buffet of recipes on the Internet for homemade horse treats, but beware: A whole lot of them will leave you elbow deep in grainy goop and you could be scraping a shellac-like substance off your kitchen counter for months.

Fortunately, these horse treats are goop-free. I started with a basic horse treat recipe and then tinkered with the ingredients.

Easy Bake Horse Treats

(makes two dozen)

• 4 tablespoons flax seed
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 cup groats*
• 2/3 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2/3 cup molasses
• Mini-muffin pan
• Cooking spray (made with vegetable oil)
• Wax paper
• Assorted toppings: crushed peppermints, dried apple slices, licorice tidbits, et cetera.

*Groats are unprocessed oats used in homemade granola. If necessary, substitute crimped oats (available at your feed store) or old-fashioned Quaker oats.

Directions: Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the molasses, followed by the warm water. Stir thoroughly. Lightly coat a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Place a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into each muffin cup. Press any topping into the center of each muffin. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until they feel solid and dehydrated. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and lift each treat from its muffin cup. If necessary, use the tip of a dull knife as an aid. Allow treats to cool completely on a piece of wax paper before packaging.

Crafter’s Tip: Holiday cookie tins are one way to wrap these cute treats, or you can opt for red or green cardboard take-out containers, which are readily available at most craft stores. Use horse stickers as decorations. Line your containers with wax paper before filling them with treats. For a final flourish, add a tag that cleverly includes the horse’s name, like “Goodies for Gracie,” “Comet’s Cookies,” and so on.

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