Homemade Horse Cookies

So I have been particularly motivated to make more things from scratch since we have moved to our farm.  Experimenting with more recipes and ingredients that I haven't tried before... with much success and enjoyment from the kids.  I even think it might be bringing us together more as a family. The kids always stick around to help cook and then clean up (well most always) after dinner, a task they rarely partook in when we lived in our nonfarmhouse.  I am really enjoying it and them!  So my new fondness for the kitchen got me to thinking...

Each weekend my daughter Abi enjoys spending time at the nearby farm, taking riding lessons, cleaning stalls and all around taking pleasure in spending time with the horses there.  Its amazing how you can get a 14 year old girl to cheerfully scoop horse manure from 30plus stalls if it means she will get to ride a horse, free of charge for an extra hour each week.

Abi with Reno

Typically she leaves early in the morning with an assortment of peppermints and carrots in tow to feed the horses; of course you can always purchase buckets of goodies from the local feed stores or Tractor Supply...naturally I began to wonder... can we just as easily make our own treats here?!?

Abi jumped right on board with this idea and got to mixing things up with some ingredients I got while grocery shopping last weekend.

Reno's Round Ups

1 cup flour

1/2 cup grandma's molasses

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients...drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet flatten into patties and bake for about 15 minutes.  Let cool before storing in an airtight container.  We managed to squeeze out about 24 horse treats.

Admittedly, both Abi and I had a bite of these cookies...and they weren't half bad, she can't wait to bring Reno a treat this weekend!!!

As an encore to Reno's Round Ups she also whipped a batch of Oat Chews. These were less appetizing to both of us and tasted a little floury to me, but maybe horses like that.  I'll be sure to follow up next week and let you know which was the favorite. 

Oat Chews

2-3 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 cups of oats

1 cup flour

Mix all ingredients together, press into a greased 9x9 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  She cut them into 1 inch squares which she then stored in the refrigerator after cooling.



Stay tuned as we try our hand at more cost saving ideas... down on the farm.