Dog Treat Recipe of the Month: Strawberry and Yogurt Valentine’s Day Hearts

I love Valentine’s Day. I recognize that it’s mostly a contrived excuse to sell chocolate and flowers, but I love chocolate and flowers, so I don’t mind. Besides chocolate and flowers, I also love themes and themed things. I like themed food, themed hand towels, themed pencil holders, themed anything. And — of course — I love any excuse to make a themed dog treat.

And, honestly, I think dogs make better Valentines than humans. My husband is great and all, but there is no entity on this planet that loves me as truly and unconditionally as either one of my two pups. Plus, they’ll gladly watch sappy Lifetime movies with me for hours without complaint. (By the way, a whole slew of these were just added to Netflix, so Kira and Angie will be watching Liz & Dick this February 14.)

Obviously, dogs miss out on the chocolate-eating portion of the holiday, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the joy that is eating Valentine’s Day-themed food. Making things Valentine’s Day appropriate is easy; it just needs to be pink, red, or heart-shaped. I’m not about to give my babies food coloring, but nature has provided me with a brightly colored food that is perfect for pink-ifying: the strawberry.

Not only are strawberries the right color for this month’s treat, but they’re packed with vitamin C, fiber, and even enzymes that may help whiten your pup’s teeth. This recipe combines strawberries with plain, fat-free yogurt, which provides protein, calcium, and tummy-helping active cultures. In short, these are a perfect treat for your furry valentine.

Two-Ingredient Strawberry Yogurt Hearts

Ingredients:

• 4 large strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and diced
• 3 cups of nonfat plain yogurt, divided in half; avoid brands that contain any fat substitutes

Equipment:

• Blender or food processor
• Plastic resealable bag
• Something flat that will fit in your freezer, like a baking pan or cutting board
• Wax paper

Instructions:

1. Add strawberries and half of the yogurt to a food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet knockoff. Blend until there are no discernible strawberry chunks and the mixture is uniformly pink.
2. Fold blended mixture into the remaining yogurt and stir until combined.
3. Transfer mixture to resealable bag and chill in the freezer until thickened, but not frozen — about 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and snip a small bit off one of the corners.
4. Line your baking pan, cutting board, or plank of wood with wax paper and start drawing hearts! If the mixture is too runny and won’t hold a heart shape, put the bag back in the freezer for a few minutes. If your hands get too cold while drawing hearts, put some gloves on.
5. Once you have made as many hearts as your heart desires, place the whole tray in the freezer for 15 minutes or until they are fully set. Peel the yogurt hearts off the wax paper and serve to the best Valentine anyone could ask for: your pup.

Did these treats win the hearts of Kira and Angie? Let’s find out.

Angie:

The moment I saw Claire break out the strawberries, I was excited because frankly I get excited anytime Claire takes anything out of the fridge. Though I don’t know what “red” and “pink” are, I know what a treat is, and these sent my heart aflutter. Now if I could only convince Claire to watch Will & Kate instead of Liz & Dick, then Valentine’s Day would be perfect.

Kira:

My favorite thing about these treats is that they are edible. “Edible” isn’t a completely necessary quality I look for in a treat (greasy paper towels, anyone?), but it’s a nice touch. As a lady of a certain age, I appreciate that these are good for my teeth and stomach, as I’ve noticed the latter has gotten a bit sensitive lately. It should be noted that I think these are best served in a bowl, rather than out of a hand, due to their temperature. In a bowl, you can take your time and slowly lap up the melting treat, instead of gulping it down and getting brain-freeze.

Will you be making something special for your furry Valentine? Can you think of a better Valentine than your pooch? Should I let Angie pick the Valentine’s Day movie? Tell me in the comments!

Read more about Valentine’s Day:

• 10 Valentine’s Day Gifts for Dogs and Dog Lovers
• Just in Time for Valentine’s Day: The Doggy Love Index
• Remember for Valentine’s Day that Dogs Eat Anything

About the author: Claire Lower is a freelance writer who holds a B.S. in chemistry. After seven years of sweating in Florida, she and her husband packed everything up and drove to Oregon with their two dogs and one very well-behaved cat. She now spends most of her time trying to convince her spaniel that walking in the rain can be fun. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.