Yogurt coating chips have been around for a long time. They make a nice coating on treats for dogs and humans alike.

 

Dog cake bakeries typically display dog treats beautifully decorated with bright and shiny colorful frosting. This frosting is usually made from the yogurt coating chips.

 

The problem is these chips primarily contain sugar and fat. There is some yogurt powder sprinkled into the mixture, but it is not the main ingredient. Due to the high sugar and fat content, the yogurt chips make a firm frosting which is a good coating.

 

Take a look at the ingredients: sugar, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, yogurt powder (cultured whey protein concentrate, cultured skim milk and yogurt culture, non-fat dry milk solids, reduced mineral whey powder), artificial color, soya lecithin, natural flavor, salt, artificial flavor.

 

The drawback to these chips is that they must be melted to use. When melted, they make an easily spreadable mixture. But the melting process can be difficult. The mix may seize up, requiring the addition of more fat to keep it flowing smoothly. It must be kept warm or it will not spread. Once it cools, it becomes firm.

 

Herein lies the biggest problem bakeries encounter. Because frosting made from yogurt chips will melt when warm, dog cakes and treats coated with it must be kept cool. Any product requiring shipping stands a chance of melting in transit if the environment is warm. Until now, bakeries have suspended shipping of frosted goods during the summer months for fear of their beautiful treats melting before reaching the customer. In some locales they have had to suspend the selling of these treats because triple digit outside temperatures would cause the treats to immediately melt when the customer walks out of the bakery.

 

In January 2010, www.K9Cakery.com, a Virginia company introduced Fido’s Frosting, a new natural dog treat frosting that does not contain sugar or fat, and does not need to be heated. It comes as a powdered mix. The baker simply adds the correct amount of water and stirs. Treats made with this frosting can be shipped anywhere, anytime, and arrive to customers looking as great as when the icing was spread in the bakery kitchen. The frosting is made primarily from yogurt. It dries firm, and because it contains no fat, it will never melt!

 

Fido’s Frosting Ingredients: natural yogurt [whey solids, yogurt powder (milk and yogurt culture)], cornstarch, maltodextrins, guar gum.