RECIPE: Apple "Pupcakes" With Peanut Butter Frosting

I’m one of those people who order a cake for their dog’s birthday and buy special doggy desserts to celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving. If I get to enjoy special occasions by indulging in some edible decadence, then why shouldn’t Banjo?

So I’ve really been looking forward to trying my hand at making dog cupcakes.

When I began searching for recipes, I stumbled across this one and was pleasantly surprised to realize I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen. And I bet there’s a good chance you do, too.

Apple "Pupcakes" With Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 4 cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ cup apple, peeled and chopped (about 1 medium apple)
• ½ cup peanut butter (xylitol free)
• Small treats for garnish

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350 F.
2. Grease a cupcake pan or use cupcake liners.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, water, vanilla, egg and honey.
4. In a second medium bowl, mix the flour and baking powder.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
6. Stir in the chopped apple.
7. Pour the batter into muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
8. Cool the cupcakes completely, then frost with peanut butter and top each with a decorative dog treat.

The doggy cupcakes ended up being soft and fragrant. They looked adorable after they’d been frosted with the peanut butter and garnished (not that Banjo cared what they looked like).

I do wish I had filled the muffin tins a little higher with the batter — the cupcakes didn’t rise as much as I had anticipated. And after I’d frosted about half of the cupcakes, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to store them without making a peanut-buttery mess everywhere.

That being said, Banjo was an enormous fan of her cupcakes and proceeded to beg for more all day after her first bite. Because this is such a large recipe, though, it may be best to have some doggy friends who will take a few off of your hands.

Adapted from Food.com. Don’t Miss These Great Recipes From Petful: Peanut Butter and Applesauce Dog Cookies Tasty Homemade Banana Carrot Dog Treats Fresh Veggies — Perfect Light Snacks No-Bake Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats