#{{ IRL the mun doesn't know how to bake much so I'm kinda improvising on the poffin thing

[works-of-magic]

Oh, it's poffins for me, hands down!

I know, I know. Very basic bitch Sinnoh response. But the thing about poffins is they're so ADAPTABLE. I have anywhere from 40-60 Pokemon I feed daily, and I need to be able to make treats with all of their preferences in mind-- ideally in large batches so I'm not sitting there making 40 different treats every week.

I mostly feed ghosts, and among them it's mostly Misdreavus line, but I also have an Aegislash, two Mimikyu, a Rotom, breeding Murkrow and a Pidgeot, a Ninetales, and a Phantump, and even more if I'm trying to keep my Litwick from draining too much life energy, so I've got a range from the amorphous group to avians to plant types to steel type to mammalian. And... whatever Mimikyu are. If I made type-specific treats for all of them, I'd basically have an unpaid full-time job just feeding my Pokemon in the kitchen!

(Sharing some of my poffin secrets below the cut. ;P Also some summaries of a mochi and hay biscuit recipe.)

So anyways, the nice thing about poffins is that they're really customizable, and essentially you're making a loaf of bread when you're making it for so many Pokemon at once. (You could theoretically make mini muffins for them, but I find a loaf of bread easier to portion and more forgiving if I forget it's rising, or forget it's in the oven.)

I can't have wheat, personally, so I tend to make the Pokemons' foods out of flour I already have on hand! Usually a wheat-free 1:1 mix with potato, rice, and tapioca. Millet flour is nice too, it's a staple in most commercial bird seed mixes so you know it's safe for the birds, it makes a very light and crumbly dough, and oat flour is good for a dense bread with extra protein and iron. Almond flour doesn't hold together very well for me, so I simply don't use it. (It's crazy expensive, anyways...)

Different flours make for lighter or heavier taste, too! By using a variety of flours, the taste and texture is something I can tailor to individuals within my stock.

For the birds and breeding ghosts especially, I'll use a recipe heavier on the eggs, for an extra helping of the protein and fats they need if they're producing eggs! The birds also get seeds and grains added to theirs if I had the money to make them something a little more gourmet, like amaranth or quinoa or unsplit oat groats.

For the ghosts, usually I'll add in whole dried berries. Oran and cornn or haban berries for the contest lines; lum and sitrus (or more oran berries) for the battling lines. I don't really work with household companion lines, but if I did they'd probably get cornn and haban berries. Plus, I'll add whatever berry is available at the market for a good price, especially for those who like spicy or sweet berries. (I want them to ENJOY the poffins, after all!)

Nuts, I have to be careful with. The ghosts and birds can have plain almonds in their poffins, usually slivered so they don't literally bite off more than they can chew and choke on them, but I don't think they're safe for Ninetales. Unfortunately I don't trust my memory+attention span to make sure I'm not giving Ninetales the slice with nuts, so I'll usually avoid it.

A nice thing about poffins is I can also make them plain if we have a new baby or I'm fostering and don't know what flavor they like. I can make a "blank slate" loaf, with no berries or fix-ins, and let them choose from different crumbles or ''glazes'' (sans sugar, really more of a reduced berry jam) to put on top. You can also do the tiramisu method with this and dip it in 'mon-safe tea! A couple of my Mismagius like this one because we can do some kitchen witchin' and enchant it for luck or prosperity or strength or positivity, whatever we may wish to carry with us through the day!

You can also make a sort of mochi treat with rice flour, water, and berry or pokebean paste (foregoing the sugar used in human mochi, of course). But that one's a lot more labor intensive. Especially if you're milling the rice flour yourself. (This recipe probably wouldn't be good for Pokemon prone to gulping their foods rather than chewing, or with any sort of dental impairments. Smaller mochi is less likely to be choked on.)

There are also really easy recipes for making hay-based biscuits for ruminants! I haven't made them myself as I've only ever fostered Minccino a couple times, but you basically soak the hay, make it into a pulp, mash it into a mold, and bake it until it's dry! Super easy and versatile, especially if you use pre-dried berries or petals. They're tasty, healthy for them, AND can help wear down the teeth of a picky gnawer, so they're functional as well as desirable! (I'd recommend using timothy or meadow grass hay for daily treats, and if you have a gravid or baby 'mon, alfalfa provides lots of extra protein and calcium they need at those stages!)

I find myself curious, after Lady Anthea's recent post.

What are your favorite recipes for homemade treats for your Pokemon? Please be sure to specify what kind of Pokemon you have when you share.

And if you read these recipes, be sure to check the ingredients before you make them, to be sure your Pokemon truly can have them, and people are not just making things up or saying whatever they please to cause harm.