Do you have a puppy? Then you know what it is to love a dog with your whole heart! This is Angel, my 2 year old Morkie. She is the sweetest, gentlest little 5 pound dog who fills my every day with joy, laughter and hugs. I got her when she was 6 months old… a little shy bundle that I sang to and cradled in my arms every night before bedtime so she would feel welcome and secure in her new home. The cradling still continues but now instead of singing, I whisper. She calms me down, as I do her. And soon we are both ready for bed.

Since I love this little girl so much, the dog AND the grand-daughter, Ava…one of things I like to do is bake cookies for them both. Of course, I make puppy safe cookies for Angel, which produces lots of puppy kisses. Recently I’ve discovered a recipe from a very old cookbook ( I collect them) for Angel Cookies which I can make for Ava. I want to share them both with you so you can bake something yummy for your family of grand-kids and puppy dogs.

Angel (the dog, I know it’s confusing…) get these peanut butter cookies that can be cut into ,fun shapes. She loves them although I only give her a little piece at a time. A bigger dog could easily have the whole cookie. By the way, they are not sweet (okay, I tasted one) so they are healthy treats for our four legged family members. .

For Ava and the rest of the family, I bake these Angel Cookies which call for shortening. Although I prefer using butter in all my baking, the shortening does give these cookies a flakiness and allows them to last longer when stored in an air tight container. Bakers used to use shortening and lard for a lot of their pastries. That’s probably why I have such good memories of the desserts served to me during my childhood when we lived in the small farm town of Michigan, North Dakota.. At 5 years old, I wasn’t shy to go from to door to door begging for cookies. Mrs. Lamb, and the others ladies in town, always had a fresh batch waiting for the children who knocked on their doors. Currently, my daughter-in-law, who is the best baker, always makes pie crust with lard from her family’s farm and it is hands down the flakiest most delicious crust I’ve every tasted. Oh, I wish I had a piece of her pie right now!

Angel Cookies

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon ,Pipka’s Vanilla Extract

Cream the shortening, gradually adding sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Combine flour, soda and cream of tartar; gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Add vanilla. The dough will be stiff.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in powdered guar. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 275 for 10-12 minutes. (If desired, you can again roll the slightly cooled cookies in powdered sugar). Set on a wired rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Puppy Cookies

Note: Be sure to use only organic or natural peanut butter. Look at labels. DO NOT USE any peanut butter that contains xylitol, an ingredient that is dangerous for pets!

2 cups whole wheat or regular flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup organic or natural peanut butter

1 cup water

1 egg

Combine all the ingredients. You may have to use the ,paddle attachment on your mixer as the dough is very stiff. You can also mix it up with your hands (use plastic gloves). Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness, then cut out with your favorite shapes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so until golden. Cool and store in an airtight container.