Recently Jay (and I *cough*, hehe) adopted a dog, which was exciting for us both since he’s wanted one for a long time (and I have too- I love animals) and also because now I get to make doggie cupcakes. I love my kitty cat to death, and she’s my babygirl, but cats don’t eat cupcakes. Not really. They have a slightly more difficult and sensitive palate than dogs. My cat is a bit unusual, since she does happen to enjoy a nibble or two of vanilla cake/cupcake. But on the whole, it isn’t good for them and they wouldn’t eat a cupcake specifically made for them (i.e. with fish or chicken, or cheese and apples in it, for instance). Dogs, on the other hand, will eat cupcakes made with chicken or cheese, but then again, they’ll eat anything and everything. Including socks, and wee wee pads, as we are finding out thanks to this beautiful boy, Indy. But that doesn’t meant they should eat it. So here we have doggie safe cupcakes, or pupcakes! Because if anyone deserves a tasty treat like a cupcake, its a puppy dog who’s learning commands so quickly and working so hard to make us proud.

And really, am I to be expected to not make cupcakes for my dog?

If you look, there are also pupcake recipes out there that include peanut butter; but because there’s a salmonella peanut butter scare going on right now, I opted for a different recipe. Always be aware of things like that when making homemade treats for your pet. They have no advocate but you, so make sure you keep up with that stuff.

DELICIOUS PUPCAKES

Ingredients

• 1 large apple
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated (or shredded) cheese

FOR FROSTING:*

• 1 8oz package lowfat cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees Grease muffin tins.
2. Core, slice and mince the apple. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda together.
4. In a medium bowl, blend the yogurt, water, oil, honey and eggs together. Then stir in the apple and cheese. Add to the flour mixture and stir until mixed. Spoon into the muffin tins, filling each cup about three quarters full.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Let rest in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then remove and set aside.
7. For the frosting, combine the cream cheese (at room temperature), honey and yogurt until smooth. Spread on the pupcakes.

Makes about 16 pupcakes. If you prefer a single-layer cake, spoon the batter into a sheet pan and bake for an extra 10 minutes. Let cool before serving. Keep in airtight container. Just remember to NOT use paper liners! Dogs, being that they have no thumbs and less dexterity with their paws than we have with our hands (and mainly because they just don’t know any better), cannot remove them from the paper before eating, and so therefore will indeed eat the wrapper. And that may pose a choking risk. So be responsible! Also, because there are no wrappers and everything in it is natural and theres no added sugar, if you have leftover ones that your doggie doesn’t want, you can toss them in your yard and the squirrels and wildlife will eat them and not get sick.

You can use any kind of cheese you want. I used a Kraft Mexican blend (haha) because thats what I had, but anything will do. Parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, etc. I don’t see why you couldn’t make these vegan either, if you don’t have eggs or real cheese on hand. Although it is important to remember that animals are NOT vegan, and don’t undersand why you are, and don’t really care. Their bodies are meant to ingest meat and animal products, and thats what they need. These cupcakes don’t contain anything made from animals except eggs, but just keep in mind a dog’s system is different than ours, and most likely he doesn’t want to be vegan And cats- forget it. Cats are NOT MEANT to be vegan or vegetarian. A dog can indeed survive and live on a vegan diet, providing you add enough protein to it- although it really is against their nature to exist solely on veggies, they can because they’re omnivores. But a cat is a carnivore, so it cannot and will not and its not really fair to try and force them.

*(The frosting is really optional, I think its cute but if you don’t wanna make it, you don’t have to. I made mine a bit of a thinner consistency by using less cream cheese, because I felt it wasn’t really necessary to have a big huge heaping pile of “frosting”; but its totally up to you.)

I tell you, these smelled really good while baking. The only thing that put me off from tasting one was the cheese, haha.

Serve to a hungry puppy dog and prepare to get slobbers and kisses in return!

For those who are interested- his name is Indy, he’s a 5 month old, about 35/40 pound Labrador Retriever, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and English Coonhound mix with little webbed paws, and he’s a sweetheart. Another picture of his silly little blockhead can be found here. We adopted him from North Shore Animal League, and they’re awesome, so if you’re feeling generous make a donation. It’ll save a life.