One of the HOTTEST pet gifts for the 2012 Holiday Season is sure to be the Sunbeam Gourmet Dog Treat Maker. We took it for a spin in our test kitchen and think that you are going to want to add this one to your own list for Santa Paws or pick one up for the pet lover in your life!
The dog treat maker heats up quickly while you mix common pantry and grocery items to make a homemade batter. The machine comes with several easy to follow all-natural recipes include gluten-free and wheat-free. It’s super convenient because you can make a small batch any time and without needing specialty pans.
The batter pours easily into the bone-shaped, non-stick cooking plates. Close the lid and the treats bake in 10-14 minutes…my first batch got darker than my second since I was experimenting, but it’s just about impossible to burn them as far as I can tell. So easy to use that this is a great way to let your little humans help make their own treats for the fur siblings. The exterior and handles stay cool but plates do get very hot so be careful if the kiddos are helping.
As with all non-stick cooking surfaces, be sure to use non-metal utensils when you remove the fresh baked treats so you don’t scratch the coating on the machine. The biscuits were super easy to remove and if I’d waited a sec for them to cool, I could have just used my fingers to slide them right out!
There are recipes included with the machine for fancy icings and toppings but I decided to just keep it simple. I topped half the treats with peanut butter and the other half with canned pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling). Then I sprinkled on toppings I had in the kitchen already: shredded carrot and a couple types of sprinkle-on dog food toppers. Daisy didn’t complain about the rustic food styling. You can get really fancy for a special occasion if you want to, and make some personalized ones for holiday gifts, parties or when those 4-legged fur friends drop by for an impromptu visit!
It’s super quick and easy to make small batches whenever the mood hits, and the machine doesn’t take up much space. When you’re done with it, the cord wraps on the back and the machine can either stand on its side or lie flat for hassle-free storage.
The Sunbeam Gourmet Dog Treat Maker is available for $29.99 at PetSmart store locations only (not available online at this time). It’s sure to be a popular holiday gift item so snag yours early so you don’t miss out!
Ohhh I want this so bad for my pup! I love that it only makes a few treats. With just one small beagle, these 4 big bones will last a while! No need to make an entire pan full. This is on my Christmas wish list!
You could also just make one or two and keep the rest of the batter in the fridge or mix a smaller batch of batter, too!
Wow, this is so cool! Why did nobody think of this years ago? My parents had a dog that had very specific dietary restrictions and it was so hard to find treats that she could eat. This would have been so much easier.
So true! It’s so easy to find gluten-free flours now, and other pet-friendly ingredients that it’s really nice to be able to customize the recipe for each dog’s tummy or allergies!
I saw this mentioned on Dogster. Of course, I live nowhere near any of the stores that would have it, so I hope someday they have them online. Or somebody has a giveaway 😉 It’s good to actually see one, though, and get a sense of scale. They’re smaller than I thought!
I hope they sell them online soon, too! Lots of people have told me they want one!
holy cow…i want this for my sweetie! he would love love love it!
Isn’t just the coolest idea???!!! Such a fun gadget!
I am so excited I went to Petsmart to purchase my Sunbeam Gourmet Dog Treat Maker. I can hardly wait to try it out this weekend.
Can’t wait to hear how your treats turn out! I want to do some fancier decorations next time! Post a photo of yours on Facebook if you get time so we can see!
How fun. Our family friend has a dog they LOVE and treat like their baby. They’d love this. I will have to tell them about it.
That is so cute! I wish I still had a dog. I made stuff all the time, including carob brownies with pumpkins for Halloween.
This looks awesome! I love that some of the recipes are wheat/gluten free perfect for my dog with allergies!
I JUST saw this at PetSmart last weekend and was telling Cooper’s Woof Woof Papa, what a great Christmas idea for Mama AND Cooper! Two “people”, one gift… what could be better!
I like your logic!
I heard these treats come out soft…or do they bake harder if you leave them longer?
They came out soft but heavier than cake. They hold together well. I’m guessing that you could experiment with the recipe to make harder ones, but the batter might be more like dough and too hard to fill the molds. If you want ones like crispy cookies, you probably have to find a dog-friendly cookie dough recipe and use cookie cutters instead! Fun to experiment and for kids to use with you, though!
I would love to have one of these, but it is hard if not impossible to fine. It is only available at Petsmart in the store and they never have them in stock. It is hard since there is only one near me and they won’t do store to store orders. Sunbeam needs to make this available some other way or make sure Petsmart sells them online as well as in stores. I know several people who would buythem.
Mine came from bed bath and beyond 🙂
If you use a crispy biscuit recipe I wonder if they would come out harder. Or could the finished treat from the treat maker be dried in a low oven to make it harder? Do you know what the non stick surface is made from? Does it have the same chemicals as Teflon?
Happy Tuesday! I was wondering if you could post the recipes from the booklet. I seem to have lost my copy. Thanks for your time.
Eilidh
Hi Eilidh! I don’t have the booklet anymore but I looked it up for you and here is a link to the PDF so you can get the recipes! http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aamb_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-sunbeam-Library/default/dw5e597f16/documents/instruction-manuals/366P_SunPet_TreatMaker_IB_078954_WEB.PDF
You can also experiment with just about any other dog cake, cookie or biscuit recipe you like. You can make one at a time until you get the exact timing right, too!