Lately Mary Virginia has been a bit fussier than normal, a bit droolier than normal, and waking a few more times at night than normal.
I think — and I say this with all caution — I think she might be teething. She might not be. Any book about babies and development will say that you can tell a baby is teething when it is drooling, chewing on things, and fussing. Since those are the only three things babies ever do, it takes a mom to decipher the fine nuances of their child to really know if these symptoms are more than normal. Hey, lady at the grocery store. I’m talking to you. I promise I know my baby better than you do.
But who knows what’s going on.
The truth is, I’ve exhausted all other possibilities so I’m banking on teeth because until those two-year molars come in, all babies are technically teething. Also, I feel like after weekend of bad sleep, I’ve earned some teeth.
We’re dealing with a dose of Tylenol for the baby (which does seem to help) and a glass of wine for Mommy after bedtime (which definitely seems to help) and I also made these: Homemade teething biscuits.
Impressive, I know. Please, hold your applause until the end.
I found a ton of options online, and adapted my recipe from this one.
This recipe is easy, and the best part is you can change it up. You’re basically making a dough that will harden when it bakes, so unlike other types of baking you don’t have to worry about leavening or the temperature of your ingredients or which type of fat you use.
The full recipe is at the bottom of the post.
Start by dumping all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing. I used my hands. I tried to be dignified and use a utensil, but I had to roll up my sleeves and use my hands to get it well-mixed.
Next, on a well-floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2-1/4″. I added too much water, so my dough is a bit too wet and sticky. That’s why my surface is well floured. You might not need this much flour.
Cut dough with a cookie cutter, a place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pop ’em in the oven.
Bake them at 425 degrees, until they look completely baked through. They shouldn’t look dough-y at all. Tom likes cookies and bread to be a bit raw in the middle, so, to him, anything that’s “done” is over-done. This recipe is the opposite. You want them brick-hard; ready to take some abuse from sore gums.
20-ish minutes and they’re done.
They’re made of wholesome ingredients, smell pretty decent, and save you a trip to Target for teething biscuits. But the best part?
They subdue Mary Virginia’s teething-induced nihilism. For just a bit.
Teething biscuits
Ingredients
1 Cup infant oatmeal
1 Cup flour
1 C pureed fruit or vegetable (I used a mashed banana. You can also use apple sauce, sweet potato, or a store-bought puree.)
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or other oil)
2 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Dump all ingredients except water in a bowl and mash them up (I used my hands).
3. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing as you go. Add water until dough is sticky and holds together well. (The dough in my photo is a bit too sticky.) Make sure the dough is well-blended with no big chunks of fruit or flour pockets.
4. Dust a surface with flour and roll out the dough to 1/2-1/4″ thickness.
5. Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes.
6. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes (until brown and hard — they shouldn’t look raw or chewy).
Cool biscuits and store in the refrigerator, or freezer.
Note: This recipe makes a biscuit that isn’t easily broken/bitten by baby. The cookie should turn gooey, not crumbly, when they gnaw on it. A thick cookie and simple shape helps keep baby from breaking pieces. Make sure to always supervise your baby while eating teething biscuits.
and they are perfect for little hands. Looks great.
What a great idea! Filing this away for like… September. Or sometime around then 🙂
I found your blog through a friend and this idea intrigued me for my ever teething (6 teeth and counting) 6-mth-old. Plus Mary Virginia looks so cute eating hers. I tried it with sweet potatoes but they never seemed to get hard in the oven (25+ min) and some puffed up with air. Any idea what I did wrong? Maybe I didn’t mix well enough, added too much water, or rolled too thick (I am so not a baker). My toddler reports they are yummy “cookies” though and the baby is knawing away at one hard-ish one!
WOW! 6 teeth! That’s impressive!
The air puffing could be because the fat wasn’t mixed completely. What kind of fat did you use? Try oil or melting the fat (butter or coconut oil) completely before mixing it.
I’d try rolling them much thinner, and adding a bit of flour to toughen them up.
I love that your toddler likes them. I gave one to my toddler and he didn’t like it at all!
i want to make these! thanks for sharing!
That face…oy! I love the recipe and will pass it along to all my younger mommy friends.
Will this recipe work with just infant oatmeal and no (all purpose?) flour?
Perhaps! I’ve never tried it, but if you try it let me know how they turn out!
With just oatmeal, it came out nice and tasty but way too soft to give my little one!
Oh how wonderful! Just in case I have another G’child I’m pinning this recipe.
Thanks and have a nice week ahead.
FABBY
I made these today – super easy and my 6 month old loved them! Even my husband tried one and he said they were alright. i couldn’t find any hard teething biscuits in the store so this recipe is a lifesaver. Thanks!
I made these and my 20 month old daughter enjoyed her “cookie” very much! I really like that there is no sugar and I could change up the puree I use each time. How long do you find that they are good for? Just wondering if she only has one a day would they be safe to give here this week or even next week? Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you like them! And especially glad your little girl did! I’ve kept them for at least two weeks. And I usually make a batch and throw them in the freezer, that way they keep for much longer. Plus, it makes them cold, which the little ones really like on sore gums.
Thank you! My daughters and I cooked up a batch of these this afternoon. We used rice cereal and they turned out great.
What age is ok to start a baby with these?
Hello! I’m not a medical or developmental professional, but I can tell you my experience. Mary Virginia was about 8 months in these photos, and she was definitely ready for them. I would wait until they’re ready for solids, until they’re sitting up on their own, grabbing for food, and already eating the ingredients — baby cereal, etc. I probably won’t give my new son them until he’s at least 6 mos.
I hope that helps!
Do you have to use cinnamon? LO has never had cinnamon before so I’m worried about using it
Hello! No, you don’t have to use cinnamon. It’s just to add a little flavor, but it’s not necessary to the recipe. Let me know how they turn out!
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for something without a ton of sugar and junk. My toddler and I made these for baby today, we made them as stars, and they felt hard/solid on the spikes but not in the middle where they were pretty firm but not rock hard.
We supervised her sample and they broke off in her mouth after several chomps/droopy sucks.
Not enough flour perhaps?
I did wonder if the jar of purée needed extra flour or no water to compensate that jar purée has water in it, where as a mashed banana is just banana….?
I’d like to give it another shot, so would love your thoughts? She LOVED them!
I made these with applesauce initially and the results were from hell (pun intended). The dough was so wet I had to throw it out.
Mommies…be warned, not all fruit purees are the same consistency. So, if you choose something other than the banana that this recipe was actually made with, add your puree slowly. I ended up using less than 1/2 cup applesauce on my 2nd attempt and the dough was a good consistency.
Yet to see if the little man likes them….they’re baking!
I should have read this b4 making them. I used half cup of banana and 1/2 cup.applesauce. turned out terrible. Good to know this now. I’ll have to try it again with something g else
I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out well! I’ve made them with bananas, sweet potato, pumpkin, and apple sauce and they’ve turned out fine… My only suggestion might be that, as with any dough or pastry, you should always add wet ingredients slowly. If the dough doesn’t have the right consistency before baking, add a bit more cereal or flour.
Has anyone tried these with flavored cereal/oatmeal and not fresh fruit or veggie?
I made them with peach/apple flavored cereal and followed the recipe exactly (just leaving out the fresh fruit/veggie). I had to add more water, but they turned out great! SO glad I found this recipe!
Interesting! I have a new little one now who’s ready for some teething biscuits, I’ll try that. Did you just do like normal, cereal? Not baby cereal?
Not sure if this was mentioned in the post (didn’t see it!) but is the cereal cooked or uncooked? Do you use instant baby cereal or adult ground cereal? Also, I saw in the comments that you have frozen yours before. How long did they last in the freezer? Thanks!
I’ve always used uncooked; infant cereal isn’t cooked before it’s eaten! And I’ve only used instant baby cereal.
I think I kept mine in the freezer for about three months!
I tried making these today with sweet potato. Had to increase baking time significantly (35+ minutes) so they were no longer doughy. Once I removed them from the oven they were slightly more hockey puck than I would have liked. That said, my bambino ferociously sucked on it (and nothing really came off).
I made these today and they didn’t turn out quite right. One pan full started to burn before they started to get hard and the other pan came out soft. Not sure what I did.
see my reply below! i’m sorry to hear one batch burned! I’d cook them at a lower temp for longer.
also, if they’re soft straight out of the oven, they’ll firm up after they cool.
Mine did something similar got hard and started to burn on side touching pan but stayed kind of soft on the top side. Would dropping the temp and letting them go longer fix this issue?
Yes! I think turning the oven down is a great idea. We’ve actually moved since I first wrote this post and my new oven is MUCH hotter (kind of too hot…), I make them 50 degrees lower!
I know this is an older post but your baby is beautiful! Anyways I’m going to make these tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
thank you! she’s three and wild now 🙂 hope you enjoy the biscuits!
2nd Step Teething Biscuits
[…] today with sweet potato. Had to increase baking time significantly (35+ minutes […]
Glad I found this. Am going to try to bake them for grand dauhter or get grammy to do as I am away for a couple weeks. Been lookimg for old style hard teething biscuits and could not find. Thankds
[…] 6. Homemade Teething Biscuits […]
I had a good dough until I added water. I used pear puree and it was way way way too wet. I should’ve read the comments first. I had to add probably a cup of flour to save it. They probably won’t taste very good but she just needs something to gnaw on. Maybe need to add a note next to that part of the post so people are warned.
they don’t taste very good anyway 😉
Has anyone’s turned out like the rough texture after cooking them? They seem hard enough but kind of jagged ends that over cooked and I’m worried will hurt her gums
I just made these with mashed strawberry and a little bit of masshed blueberry and I kind of added all the water at once lol
I had to keep adding flour to get it from sticking to everything! It wouldn’t hold together at first but I think I had to add about two cups of flour.
I rolled it too flat and baked half a batch and they puffed up. Then I added a tiny bit more flour and made them thicker and they baked well.
My 9 month old is teething with six teeth and one poking out and he loved his biscuit. Kept him busy until it got all gooey and he was done with it lol Making it again tomorrow with raspberry and strawberry and less water this time. See how it goes 🙂
Thank you for the recipe!
I used your recipe (properly acredited of course) in my blog post today. Thank you for the awesome recipe, everyone in the baby room at my little one’s daycare is going to get some for Valentine’s Day! Check it out at http://www.mamaofthedrama.com
I want to make some for my 11 month old granddaughter, but she lives across the country. Should I put a cold pack in with the package to keep them cool?
what a sweet gift! i don’t think a cold pack is necessary, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt!
i tried this but the dough was way too sticky i tried adding more flour but it did nothing to help. any suggestions?
If you read in the recipe, my dough was too sticky too, because I used too much water. Just make sure your surfaces are WELL floured so it doesn’t stick as you roll it out, it should be fine.
This is different than normal kinds of baking because you want a tough product, so it’s ok if the consistency of the dough isn’t perfect!
just did these with mini christmas cookie cutters – they looked so cute and taste is great
UHHHH!!! This is AWFUL! I used almond flour and applesauce. More dough on my fingers than the cookie sheet! After adding a ton more flour and dipping my fingers in water I managed to bake the cookies. No shocker, they are terrible. Terrible flavor and terrible texture. What a waist! This is why most people buy premade goods!
Sorry these didn’t work for you. Perhaps the almond flour was the problem? Don’t give up though, and remember that most baby food doesn’t taste good to adults who are used to salt and sweeteners and literally have different taste buds than babies.
also, *waste*
Obviously the issue is with the baker, not the recipe! This has been tried and loved for years—almond flour is different than regular flour. If you want to use a different flour, you have to do the research and experiments to make it work. Don’t knock the original baker because you failed to take the necessary steps when changing a recipe.
Almond flour does not really absorb moisture and that was why your dough turned out gooey and difficult to shape.
thank you for the explanation!
[…] Recipe From The Kriegers […]
How much banana would you use.
This recipe has been around a long time, and I’m grateful. I’ve been looking for a reliable teething biscuit without a lot of unnecessary ingredients. Will make these today—thanks.
So glad! And yes, this is why I loved the recipe — it’s comforting to give your baby food that you made using ingredients that are simple and healthy. Enjoy <3
These are so wonderful! I used peanut flour instead of regular flour to make them peanut butter banana flavored 🙂
And I love that they don’t break off. They’re perfect for teething!
i’m so glad you (and mostly, baby!) liked them! thanks for letting me know!
How long the cookies last? A week? Should I refrigerate them?
Hello! They should last for a while! At least a month. I always kept mine in the fridge bc it helped them last and the cookies were cool on baby’s gums!
[…] Homemade Teething Biscuits from Living On Grace […]