It’s my husband’s birthday–his first since we got married. Did I bake a cake? Nope! I baked macarons for the dogs. Wife of the year award of here. But really, shouldn’t the dogs get to celebrate with a sweet treat, too? And these are some classy treats. I’m imagining the dogs dining on satin tablecloths with a three-course candlelit dinner, discussing the latest kibble stock prices and our recent rash of bad weather. And when it comes time for dessert, they feign fullness, until they see the plate of blueberry peanut butter macarons. “My word, Emily, those look divine! I surely have room for just one little macaron.”
Even if this is just a fantasy, I can assure you that these macarons will be appreciated. My dogs were obsessed as I was making these and insisted on samples the moment I finished. And I bet they’d make lovely gifts in a fancy box, a la Laduree.
These macarons can be whipped up with only a few ingredients and a few basic tools. When you cut out the macaron, a small biscuit cutter will work great. But if you don’t have one (I don’t, but will in two days–thank you wedding registry!), you can simply use the top of a shot glass to cut the circles.
When it comes to the frosting, feel free to add a little more blueberry juice if you’d like a darker color. But do so slowly to ensure you don’t add too much, otherwise the frosting will be looser and harder to pipe. Speaking of, if you don’t have a pastry bag, simply cut the tip (only a quarter inch or so) off a plastic freezer bag and voila! Piping bag.
You’ll have a little extra frosting when you’re all done but I’m sure your dog won’t mind. This makes a great training tool if you’re working with your dog on leash walking. Simply carry the bag with you and squeeze out a little to encourage your dog to stay by your side. Refrigerate any extra.
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Ingredients
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter (make sure it doesn’t contain xylitol, which is unsafe for dogs)
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat blueberries and water in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until blueberries are somewhat mushy.
- Strain blueberries, reserving purple liquid in one bowl and blueberries in another.
- Puree solid blueberries in a food processor or blender, or mash by hand.
- Combine 1/4 cup peanut butter, eggs, and pureed blueberries in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium until combined (around 20 seconds). You can also mix by hand.
- With mixer running on medium, add flour 1/2 cup at a time. If the dough is still sticky after you’ve added all the flour, add a little more.
- Knead dough a couple times on a floured surface, then roll out flat until it’s just under 1/2″ thick. Use a round biscuit cutter (or shot glass) to cut out macarons and place on a sheet pan that has parchment paper on it. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The bottoms will be slightly browned and the tops firm. Allow to cool on the pan for a couple minutes.
- While the cookies cool, whip the cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 2 tablespoons blueberry liquid in a stand mixer on high for 30 seconds.
- When the cookies are cool, pipe or spread the frosting onto one side of each cookie, not quite to the edge. Then press another cookie into it and do your best to keep your dogs from gobbling them all up.
Note: Adapted from damdelicous.net’s peanut butter dog treats and peanut butter pupcakes.