I’m officially that girl. The girl who dotes on her dog and bakes him birthday cake.

Today is our sweet Ignatius Loyal Miele’s 5th birthday, and I thought it would be perfect to share a healthy, dog-friendly birthday treat.

Iggy is a handful, but he makes our little family complete (at least until there are real children in the picture).

He joined our family just a few months after Mark and I were married; I still remember his adorable wide eyes when the breeder basically shoved him into our arms.

We just went to look. But of course he came home that night.

Though they’re a little bland and dense for humans (yeah, I tasted them), these dog-friendly cupcakes are safe, healthy, and sure to be a special treat for your loving pet.

Peanut Butter-Carrot “Pupcakes”

yields 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter + 1 tbsp (separated)
• ⅓ cup plain Greek or regular yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.
3. Add carrots, egg, peanut butter, apple sauce, and honey, mixing with a spoon until combined. The mixture will be much thicker than ordinary cake batter.
4. Scoop batter into muffin tin, and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Make the frosting by stirring 1 tbsp peanut butter with yogurt, and spread over each cake.
6. Garnish with additional shredded carrots. You know, if your dog is fancy like that.

Iggy loved his cupcake! He licked all of the icing off and then proceeded to try to swallow it whole. Happy birthday, little man. 🙂