February 6, 2022

Valentine’s Day Chocolates for Dogs! Dog Friendly Chocolate Recipe

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Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without a box of chocolates! It’s common knowledge that dogs can’t eat chocolate but luckily there is a chocolate substitute that is perfectly safe for dogs to eat. If you’re looking for a way to show your furry friend just how much you love them this holiday, spoil them with this 3 ingredient recipe for Valentine’s Day chocolates for dogs.

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Why Can’t Dogs Eat Chocolate?

While it may be tempting to share your chocolates with your pup, doing so could likely end in a trip to the emergency vet. Dogs can’t eat regular chocolate that is made with cocoa because cocoa contains a chemical known as theobromine which is toxic to canines. If a dog eats chocolate they may experience symptoms such as:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Excessive Thirst
Elevated Heart Rate
Seizures

In simple terms, large amounts of theobromine will poison your dog and could potentially be fatal. You should never feed your dog any chocolate, but be extra careful with dark chocolate because it contains larger amounts of theobromine than milk chocolate does. If you suspect your dog ate chocolate, call your vet immediately and keep an eye on them for symptoms of toxicity.

Ingredients Used in Dog Friendly Chocolates

These Valentine’s Day chocolates for dogs are so simple to make and only contain 3 ingredients.

Carob

Carob is a cocoa substitute that does not contain theobromine and is therefore safe for canine consumption. You can buy carob in a powder or chips and either one will work for this recipe.

If you’re looking for other uses for carob, try out this hot “chocolate” recipe for dogs or this “chocolate” cake dog recipe.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is not only safe for dogs but actually has some health benefits as well. Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacteria. It’s also great for dry skin and itchiness and will leave your dogs coat looking shiny and sleek.

Coconut oil can be used for brushing your dogs teeth or can just be added to their food. Because it has a slightly sweet taste, it’s great to use in recipes such as this one to make food tastier for your dog.

Peanut Butter

Most dogs love peanut butter which made it an obvious choice for a Valentine’s Day chocolates filling. I used Jif sugar free peanut butter because excess amounts of sugar is not great for our furry friends. If you’re using human grade peanut butter for your dog, always be sure it does not contain xylitol which is toxic to dogs.

If you want to be extra cautious, you can use a dog peanut butter to be sure it’s safe and won’t make your dog sick.

Other Filling Options

If you or your dog has a nut allergy or isn’t a huge fan of peanut butter, you can fill your chocolates with one of these options instead:

Pumpkin
Cool Whip
Greek Yogurt

Or you can leave the filling out altogether, they’ll still be tasty.

How to Make Valentine’s Day Chocolates for Your Dog

Making Valentines Day chocolates for your dog is incredibly simple. To start, melt your coconut oil in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds and then mix in your carob powder. If you’re using carob chips you can add those to the coconut oil and then microwave it all together.

heart shaped mold filled with carob powder and coconut oil for valentines day chocolates for dogs

Fill your heart shaped molds about half way with the coconut oil and carob mixture and place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until frozen.

Next melt your peanut butter and pour a thin layer on top of the frozen carob, then place back into the freezer until frozen.

peanut butter on top of carob powder in heart shaped valentines day chocolates for dogs mold

Finally, melt together more coconut oil and carob and fill the heart shaped molds the rest of the way. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Pop your chocolates out of the mold and you have the perfect Valentine’s Day chocolates for your dog! They’re cute, sweet, easy and the perfect way to show your furry friend how much you love them.