I think Martha Stewart recipes are sort of like urban legends. How so? Well, they sound really cool and interesting, yet in reality just don’t happen. I’ve heard this before from other people, so I can’t be imagining this.  Like, you see a recipe of her’s in one of her 6,000 various publications; a book, a magazine, whatever. The recipe looks so awesome, and creative, and unique, and it emphatically says somewhere how easy it is (and most of the time it really is, so you get over-confident), and you’re like “Holy shit, I can so do that!” and then you try, and not so much. Maybe you’ve gotta be Martha herself to fully create her recipes to perfection. For example, the  brown sugar buttercream frosting for the apple cupcakes. And one time I made a no-bake cheesecake from one of her magazines and it was a mess and a half. Another example? These ghost cupcakes.

Boo… boo hoo… why can’t we eat ourselves!?

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But before I get into all that, let me repeat for the 800th time how much I adore Halloween. And Martha Stewart. And her yearly Halloween magazine. I beat this fact into everyone’s head every year, and it remains true: Halloween is not only just my favorite holiday, it’s the best holiday. If you don’t like Halloween, I’m sorry, you’re just a loser. I can’t say it any plainer.*shrugs* Last year I made really cute little green monster cakes thanks to Lyns and her white chocolate eyeballs. I also made some pretty sweet Devil’s food cupcakes with Red Hot’s buttercream and Devil toppers (well I made them a bit after Halloween but they’d be perfect Halloween cupcakes, and I even have the toppers available for download in the post), and they were all kinds of awesome. The year before, I made spider web cupcakes  with vintage Halloween postcard toppers (the post has somehow disappeared from the website, but here are two pictures). This year, something different again. I decided to use a Martha recipe/idea. Because Martha is the Queen of Holiday Baked Goods. But every single time you try to re-create one of her beautiful confections, it fails in some way. Sometimes a small way, and sometimes a huge way. Luckily, I managed to salvage these cakes aesthetically and they look pretty cute anyway.

So these cupcakes can be found in the 2009 Halloween issue of Martha’s Halloween magazine. They’re really “ghost petit fours” made by cutting a sheet cake into rounds and then frosting it, etc, etc. But I just made cupcakes instead (Billy’s Bakery vanilla) and used those instead. However… the main issue is that the frosting does not hold up when the glaze is spooned over it. Yeah, maybe I should’ve just given up and left it at the frosting and threw out the whole glaze idea, but I’m not a quitter. To get it to work, I had to thin the glaze out some more, and it still really wasn’t enough. I finally figured it out enough to get “ghostly” cupcakes for the last few. Otherwise, the rest all deflated. Still tasted amazingly delicious, but not ghostly at all. As it is, even these aren’t as high as they were before the glazing. You can tell they’re a little, well, squashed?

I’m putting the original recipes from the magazine here, but as I’ve already said, the way they are now just doesn’t work. So here’s what I suggest to you: make the thickest buttercream you can. So thick it’s hard to pipe out.  You can use the confectioner’s sugar frosting recipe I’m going to give you here, just make it thicker. Add more sugar until it’s so thick and stiff it just stands up on its own and is hard to push out of the pastry bag. Then, frost the cakes and let  ‘em set in the fridge for a half-hour. Make the butter glaze adding about two-three more tablespoons more milk than called for, then gently spoon it over the cooled cakes. That should help. If not, then the recipe just doesn’t work, and Martha makes fake cupcakes for her magazine using styrofoam frosting and fake glaze. Of course this way the glaze won’t fully set, but that’s the price you pay.

Now, I’m pretty experienced when it comes to making cupcakes and frosting. I’ve made gazillions of other much more difficult things in the past. So not to sound cocky, but I really doubt this was an issue because of something I did. I am perfectly willing to accept that it could be all my fault however, so if you happen to make these Martha’s way, and they come out perfect, please tell me. I’ll then proceed to find where you live, hide out in your closet, and add arsenic to your next batch of cupcake batter.

BILLY’S BAKERY VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake, or use a pastry bag fitted with a fancy tip. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

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CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR ICING

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3 pounds confectioner’s sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar. Add salt,vanilla and milk; beat until icing is smooth and creamy. The icing should be thick enough to pipe and hold it’s shape.
2. If it seems too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until proper consistency is reached.* Frost cupcakes in rounds, high as you can to make ghostly shapes. Then cover in butter glaze (hold cupcake on a large spoon over the bowl of glaze; gently spoon glaze over the top and allow excess to drip off). Let glaze set and then draw eyes and mouth using melted chocolate.

*Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 2 days in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature and lightly beat until creamy before using.

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BUTTER GLAZE

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Place sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Immediately pour the butter into the bowl with the sugar. Add the milk, and whisk until smooth.
3. Cover bowl, and store at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 hour.

The ghost on the far left has facial issues, clearly.

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To make the faces, melt 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) chocolate chips and pipe onto cupcakes after the glaze sets. And remember this: the only recipes I’ve ever gotten from Martha that I never had a problem with were her risotto recipes. And her flourless chocolate cake. Oh! And the above recipe for Billy’s Vanilla cupcakes too- but that’s not even her recipe, it’s Billy’s.

So in the end, the cakes weren’t really exactly the way they should’ve been, but tasted beyond amazing. The butter glaze is so sweet it makes your teeth ache, which is sorta like a Halloween prerequisite. Anything bad for your teeth and that can potentially cause either a sugar high or a sugar coma is more than just allowed, it’s just mandatory. And these cakes were delicious. Delicious, most definitely. Adorable, yes. Perfect, no. But again, who needs perfection!?

Actually… speaking of perfection… here’s a picture of Indy in his “Halloween costume” his aunt Jennifer got him:

Yeah, it’s a witch hat, and yeah, he’s a boy. Don’t ask. I’m going with “Warlock” but I think that sounds very 1998-wannabe Wiccan, so maybe we’ll just get him a little police costume and be done with it. Or maybe this is the last costume you’ll ever see him in. He’s gotta be over 90 pounds now, complete with massive canines and incisors. If he doesn’t wanna wear a costume, who am I to argue?

First, some pictures of the prizes themselves:

They came out really beautiful, and in case you can’t read that picture, they each contained a handmade blanket from Topstitch, a dog bowl filled with homemade doggie biscuits I made (tied with a red ribbon), and a nylon chew toy. Thank you to Dayna for making me a part of this, and thanks to Yoyo for helping out and donating the gorgeous blankets!

INDY’S FLAX SEED, PARSLEY AND PEANUT BUTTER BREATH-BISCUITS

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ c. whole wheat flour
• ½ c. all-purpose flour
• ½ c. cornmeal
• ½ c. rolled oats
• ½ c water
• ½ c. canola oil
• ¼ c. parsley flakes
• 3 tbsps flax seeds
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsps peanut butter
• 2 tsps vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease your baking sheets.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal and rolled oats.  Little by little, add in the remaining ingredients until it’s mixed well.
3. Using your fingers, scoop out a decent amount of the dough into your hand.  Press it down on the baking sheet and form a rough dog bone shape, then press down to flatten.  Alternately, you can just make plain round cookie shapes, or roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut into whatever shape you like. If you have a dog bone cookie cutter, you don’t need to mold them into bones by hand!
4. Bake for 10-20 minutes then turn off the oven.  Let the cooked treats hang out in the oven for at least 20 minutes, so that they will harden.

Flax seed aids digestion, and also helps dogs keep a shiny coat and healthy skin. Parsley naturally fights bad breath and peanut butter… well, all dogs love peanut butter. These biscuits are a huge hit with Indy (hence my name for them, heh) and I’m sure your dog will love them too.

And here are some pictures from the Dog Show itself of some awesome doggies enjoying themselves! Thanks to Dayna at All Things Sweet for the pictures.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out my crazy-go-nuts giveaway for Cupcake Rehab’s second birthday. I’m giving away TONS of awesome prizes! So go check it out and enter your Cupcake Rehab-themed cupcake for a chance to win a Cupcake Rehab painting by Chrisie Comis, a Topstitch pouch and cupcake/baking materials from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies… or a set of Cupcake coasters and a custom painting by Anna at Very Small Anna and more stuff from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies! But hurry, the contest ends October 12th. So start coming up with those cupcake ideas now before it’s too late

So if you’re in the area and want to bring your doggie(s) down, please do! It should be a really fun time.  I’ll post more about it as I get info.

Also, if you want to donate something dog-related for the raffle, e·mail me! The more the merrier!

By the way, I’ll be donating some pupcakes or homemade dog biscuits to be raffled off (along with a dog blanket handmade by Yoyo at Topstitch) at the 2nd annual Just For Fun Dog Show this September 12th in Seaford on Long Island. If you’re an Etsy seller who creates canine clothes/collars/etc or if you own a dot com pet supply shop and you’re interested in donating something, please let me know. I plan on creating a basket filled with the ‘cakes/cookies and the blanket so I’ll have room for other things. If you’re a blog owner who’s crafty or if you just want to donate something, feel free to also let me know via e·mail. And I’d appreciate it if you could spread the word!

So I found a recipe at the White On Rice Couple blog, but adjusted it and changed it a bit to meet my needs & use what I had on hand, so I renamed it, since its not the same exact biscuit, and actually… its really pretty different. Also, you may need to add more flour/cornmeal or water when making it. I made a wetter dough and just made rough shapes of bones, but if you desire a firmer dough for cutting out shapes with a cutter you can do that as well. The blueberries aren’t necessary either. I didn’t let mine get too dark brown (although the second batch did come out darker than the first) mainly because my recipe isn’t exactly like that on White On Rice Couple so I wasn’t sure if it would just burn or get dark. But feel free to experiment and let me know how they work out for you. You can use wheat germ instead of a cup of flour or the cornmeal as well, or add other things your dog likes, like apple or carrot.

Making your dog homemade treats is fun and saves money, but please, before adding anything, if you aren’t 100% positive if its okay for dogs to eat, ask your vet. Especially if you have an older dog or one on medications for certain diseases or digestive problems or a dog under 6 months.

GOOD DOGGIE! BLUEBERRY FLAX SEED DOG BISCUITS

First you gotta get:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons whole Flax Seed (optional)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup water

Then you have to:

1. Combine wheat flour, ground flax seeds, cornmeal, salt, brown sugar, and whole flax seed in mixing bowl. Stir in eggs and vegetable oil.
2. Mix blueberries in, and then add water in.
3. Mix to form a firm dough that is smooth and workable (or you can keep the dough wet and form balls using a spoon or mold it into bone shapes as I did). Adjust by adding a little extra flour or water as required.
4. Roll the dough out to 1/2″ (1.2cm) thick (if making firm dough). Cut out biscuits using a bone-shaped cutter 3″x1.5″ (7.5×3.7cm). or whatever cutter you like. Place the biscuits on sheet pans lined with baking paper, or well greased. Or, if making wetter dough, just plop palmfuls of dough on pan and mold into desired shape, be it cookie-like circles, bones, hearts, whatever. You can also use some more flax seeds* to decorate if you wish, or, omit them from the dough and just use them on top.
5. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approx. 40 minutes or until biscuits are browned and, more importantly, rock-hard. Let biscuits cool, then store in a covered container five to six feet off the floor (guess why!). Use as needed to reward your four-legged friends.

Taste test results: Two paws up!

Obviously, these were a hit. Be sure to feed them to a dog in an area where they won’t stain anything valuable- blueberries are notorious for leaving behind stubborn stains. But any self-respecting dog won’t drop a bit of biscuit, let alone blueberry.

Store these in the fridge, because flax seed oil can go bad quickly. I doubt they’ll last that long though. And yes, the small amount of brown sugar in these is okay for them to eat. Never feed a dog sugar substitutes- here’s a handy list of foods to avoid from the ASPCA.

*You may see whole flax seeds in your dogs, uh, *cough* poop. That’s fine and normal. The ground flax seed is excellent for them and so is the seed, but sometimes they go undigested. Flax seed not only adds fiber to your dogs’ diet, but also flax seed oil (which comes out when flax seeds are ground) can improve the coat and skin of pets. Also, the lignans contained in flax seed oil may have anti-cancer benefits. The blueberries are also excellent, providing antioxidants but should only be used if FRESH. Blueberries are found in many organic dog treats and food products, and are an exception to the rule of “no fruits for dogs” along with apples. Never feed a dog grapes or raisins, though, they can cause stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting.

By the way, if you’re into those newfangled social networking sites- don’t forget to add Cupcake Rehab as a friend on MySpace, follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!

Now onto something a bit more serious. My dear friend Yoyo over at topstitch.org does something called Military Monday. Here’s an explanation, in her words:

HOLA AMIGOS,

I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN MILITARY MONDAY TO YOU AGAIN INCASE YOU MISSED IT ON TWITTER SINCE I YAP ON THERE WAY TOO MUCH LOL.

WHEN I ADDED CARSON DALY ON TWITTER I NOTICED HE STARTED DOING MILITARY MONDAY, I DECIDED I WANTED TO DO THE SAME.

SINCE MEMORIAL DAY, I LIST (IN 2POST’S) 100 SOLDIERS THAT DIED IN IRAQ SINCE THE FIRST ONE.
THEY DO SO MUCH FOR US AND IT’S THE LEAST I COULD DO. THEY NEED TO BE HONORED AND REMEMBERED EVERY DAY.

I KNOW YOU ALL ASKED WHAT YOU COULD DO. IF YOU WANT TO DO WHAT I AM DOING (YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE FROM MINE) OR IF YOU WANT TO THINK UP SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.

I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU ALL JOINED ME IN DOING THIS EVERY MONDAY. IT’S ONCE A WEEK AND IT WOULD MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME BUT PLEASE DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO.  I DON’T WANT TO GUILT ANYBODY INTO ANYTHING AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND IF YOU DON’T WANT TO.

THANKS GUYS. HAVE A GREAT EVENING!!

So I of course said I would do Military Monday as well! And here to kick off my first Military Monday post are Arwyn & Indy, showing their patriotism (and Indy has a special message for everyone)…

Arwyn loves her country!

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Rescue pets know this is true just as much as soldiers do!

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I’d like all of you to visit Faces of the Fallen: Iraq & Afghanistan Casualties and read through the listings. Click on as many soldiers as you can, read about them. I think you’ll find that you’ll be reminded of someone you know, a brother, sister, cousin… an old high school friend. You’ll think of your son or daughter, husband or wife. It will upset you, it will hit close to home. And it should. We should never let a day go by that we don’t think of these people, never let a day go by that we don’t get upset about this war, we should never ever become jaded and passive and allow this to just happen without having a reaction.

As someone who knows a Marine who’s served twice in Iraq, I know what his wife feels when he leaves to do his duty. I know what she feels, but I can’t imagine how she feels. The war is not a video game, a Lifetime television series or a movie. It is real, its happening every day and its tearing families apart. The least we can do is honor those who were brave enough to die in service to our country. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE WARS WE ARE IN, BUT I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT OUR ARMED FORCES.

Thank you for reading, and congratulations again to Courtney!

A snickerdoodle is a variety of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. It has a characteristically cracked surface, and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually baking powder.

So here we have the doggie version- snickerpoodles. I made these in celebration of our puppy Indy’s DNA test results: thanks to The Canine Heritage Breed Test, we found out that he’s a mix of Labrador Retriever, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and English Coonhound. And what better way to celebrate finding out who you are than with cookies?! Really, what better way to celebrate just being a dog than with cookies?

I made these kinda huge, ’cause, well… Indy’s kind of a big dude. I mean look at him- he’s 8 months old and almost 60 pounds and eats like a monster. They’re like the size of my palm. But depending on the size/appetite of your dog you can make them smaller… or even bigger if you’ve got a Great Dane or St. Bernard or a horse. And  by the way, that picture is from the cover of his new rap album, Yo! Indy Raps, in stores now. Gangsta!

Basically, why pay $3.50 per dog cupcake or cookie at Pet Supplies Plus when you can make your own and actually know what you’re putting into it?

SNICKERPOODLES

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 3 ¾ cups white flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix vegetable oil, shortening , honey with eggs. Beat well.
2. Add flour, soda and cream of tartar. Knead dough until mixed well. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls.
3. Mix the cornmeal and cinnamon together in a bowl and roll balls in mixture.
4. Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet . Press the balls down with a fork.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 400F. Cool on a rack. Store in airtight container, if they last that long!

And let me repeat, for anyone out there who’d like to comment and tell me how terrible I am for feeding cookies to a dog (like the troll from the last dog treat post) … THESE ARE DOG-SAFE. NO SUGAR. ALL-NATURAL. NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS. NOTHING IN HERE IS BAD FOR DOGS. A healthy dog should have no problem eating these or digesting them. Now for my little Public Service Announcement: Its fun to make your own dog treats and food, but please remember you should never give your dog sugar, and don’t feed a senior dog/dog with special dietary needs treats like this without consulting your vet first.

The end!

Lucky for me, not all dogs feel that way!

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for pupcakes, or cupcakes for dogs. Well, our dog puppy Indy loves them, and has a very specific way of eating them. I thought I’d share with you how exactly a dog eats one of these, having no thumbs you’d think it would be different from how a human would. Turns out, its not really all that different from how a person eats one… well, minus the thumbs. Enjoy!

And that is how you eat a pupcake!

P.S. If anyone makes their pup some of these delicious treats, I’d love to see pictures! Send them to cupcake.rehab@gmail.com!

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.