Pear & Banana Bunny Rabbit Treats for Bunnies/Rabbits

Sandi (From CA)'s Note:

My little guy just loves these home baked goodies, but please remember they're treats and meant to be given sparingly. The ideal food for rabbits is a high quality, fresh hay (I use Oxbow Timothy hay), but once a day I give Bunneh either one of these or a tiny piece of fresh fruit. He also gets fresh vegetables or herbs, but again, the main diet should be the hay and plenty of fresh water. Bunnies are easily amused and not prone to getting bored with food like we are, so don't worry about the hay. ;o) As always, I highly recommend that every pet owner consults with their vet about their pets' diet.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 dozen t ...

• 1 pear , ripe and soft (can be steamed if not soft)
• 1 banana , ripe, broken into pieces
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1⁄3; cup rabbit pellets , ground finely
• 1⁄3; cup old fashioned oats , ground finely
• 2⁄3; cup Cheerios toasted oat cereal (the plain oat ones)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mash together pear and bananas with honey until smooth.
3. Grind pellets, oats, and Cheerios using a coffee grinder (use a grinder only used to make rabbit treats). Mix in with pear/banana mixture until well blended together and allow to cool if you've steamed the pears.
4. Place the dough on either a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat (silicone baking) mat. Whichever you use, place it on a baking sheet for stability.
5. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and roll out until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Some folks use a cookie cutter for the next step, but I just score the rolled-out dough with a large knife in any pattern I want. Be very careful you're not cutting the material beneath the dough (either the paper or the Silpat). You only need to SCORE the dough, not cut all the way through. When they're done, they'll easily break apart.
7. Cook for 30 minutes or until brown on bottom. Check at 20 minutes. My guy doesn't like them overdone.
8. Let cool - for a crunchier treat, turn off the oven, leaving the sheet in until it cools.
9. Once cooled, place in sealed container or bag and refrigerate or freeze. I usually keep a weeks' worth in the refrigerator and the rest are divided into weekly portions and go into vacuum-packed bags in the freezer.