Try Egg Paint as a
Healthy Dog Treat Icing

An egg paint is a healthy alternative to traditional icing. There is no added sugar, and the yolk has vitamins A, D, E and K. The recipe is also very easy with just a few ingredients. You can easily whip up a batch whenever the artful mood strikes you.

Red Egg Paint as Dog Treat Icing

The edible egg yolk paint is a type of dog treat icing that will dry hard and glossy.

Important Note: You can use this type of icing only if you apply it before you bake your dog cookies.

Ingredients:

• one egg (yolk and white separated)
• 1/4 tsp. water (approx. 10 drops of water)
• food coloring (liquid or paste)

Instructions:

1. Separate egg yolk from the white.
2. Pour the yolk into a bowl.
3. Add the water.
4. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
5. Add desired amount of food coloring.

Tips & Techniques

• Separating an Egg - This can easily be done by cracking the egg around the middle of the shell. Then carefully, and over a bowl, transfer the yolk from one shell to the other while the white drops into the bowl. Do this transfer method until all you have left in the egg shell is the yolk.

  No need to let the white of the egg go to waste. Once you have your egg yolk in another bowl, cover the egg white bowl and place in the fridge. Maybe when you have the dog cookies in the oven you can whip up a very low fat egg white omelet for yourself and your dog to share (omit any salt or butter if sharing).

• Food Coloring - You can use liquid or paste food coloring for your egg paint icing. The liquid is typically easier to find in grocery stores and will cost less initially. You can find the paste in craft stores with a baking section or specialty kitchen/baking stores. You may pay a little extra, but the paste lasts considerably longer. There are also many premixed colors to choose from. It really comes down to how often you intend to decorate your dog treat recipes. If you're an occasional decorator, the liquid food coloring should do nicely. You'll need to mix up your own colors, but to me that's part of the fun!

  There are several ways of creating more colors by using the recipe above. You can use an empty Styrofoam egg carton and divide the whipped yolk into individual cups and then add the food coloring. Actually any small plastic or glass container can be used to divide the yolk before coloring. I tend to save the little plastic baby food cups and use those for a variety of applications.

• Mixing Food Coloring - You will want to use patience when trying to achieve the colors you want. Keep in mind that you are starting with a yellow base, the egg yolk. You can easily use 7 or more drops of liquid to attain vibrant colors. After determining how many drops to get the colors you want, why not write your "formula" on a sticky note and keep it in the food coloring box. Next time you decorate you won't waste time getting the colors just right.
  
  
• Sizing - You can easily double, or even triple, this recipe for more colors and to cover a lot of dog biscuits. Remember, the egg paint is more of a glaze than a dog treat frosting or icing, so it will be thin.
• Application - You can use a basic water color paint brush set to apply the egg paint. For detailed work you may want to use toothpicks. If you want full coverage, or the dog cookie is large, you can use a pastry brush or other medium sized brush to apply one layer.

  The mixture may dry some during the painting, you can cover with plastic wrap to help prevent this. You can also add a couple drops of water to get things moving again. As with all dog treat recipes, the process should be fun, so relax and be creative. My guess is that you will hear very few complaints from your intended recipient!

• Children - Speaking of fun, this is a great project to get the kids involved. However, a note of caution is in order. You are dealing with raw egg which can, if eaten, lead to illness. Don't spoil a fun time. Just be sure to wash your hands and utensils thoroughly.
  
  
• Baking - As mentioned above, you use this dog treat frosting before you bake the cookies. Unlike human cookies, dog treats don't use leavening, baking powder or baking soda, and so they rarely expand during the baking process. So the glaze should stay in the same place and look the same before and after baking.

There is no need for a dog on a restricted diet to go without decorated dog cookies. That's why this egg paint is so fantastic. It is simple to make, there is no added sugar and it's oh so much fun to apply! And, since they dry hard during baking, your artful creations can be stacked, refrigerated or frozen for future enjoyment, gifts or special occasions.