DIY: How to Make Peppermint Horse Treats

(Updated to Add: I also have a video version of this recipe: here. In the year since I made these treats I have played with the recipe quite a bit. Puffy peppermints don’t melt as much and look more fun for gifts, but the peppermints can break or fall off. The melted star peppermints hold up best in containers. If you don’t have sweet feed, you can use any other sort of grain or just leave it out. These work perfectly fine without the feed.)

Your horse will mug you for these. And they make great gifts.

3 cups bran
1 cup sweet feed (optional)
1 cup quaker oats
1 cup flax seed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 bag of peppermint treats

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Chop your carrots. You can also shred them or buy pre-shredded carrots.
   
3. Spray your measuring cup with oil before you measure your molasses to help it flow out of the cup instead of sticking.
   
4. Mix your wet ingredients in your stand mixer.
   
5. Mix your dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
   
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
   
7. Spoon your mixture into your ungreased mini muffin pans.
   
8. The mixture will not rise so you can fill each muffin bowl to even.
   
9. Push a peppermint into the center of each muffin and pull it back out leaving an indentation. Use one peppermint to do all of the muffins.
   

   This is a messy step and you may be tempted to just leave the peppermints in, but if you do, the inside of the candy will melt completely and leak into the bottom of your treats making them even stickier and leave the center of your treat hollow. See below:

   
10. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the peppermints into the indentations.
    
11. Bake for 10 more minutes. Then let cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before you turn them out of the tins onto a cooling rack to completely cool.
    
12. The peppermints will be melted enough to make them combine with the treats. If you try to add them after baking, they just fall out. Store in a sealed container. Makes about 4 dozen.