George Michael Eats: Pupcakes

In celebration of George Michael's eight birthday, I decided to make him some pupcakes. GM is not a picky dog. He loves eating 80% of the scraps off of my cutting board, especially cucumber and apple (but never ever mushroom). He'll munch on pieces of lettuce, he loves carrot, and he will do anything for a potato chip. So, I knew that whatever I made for him, he'd love.

I ended up combining a few of his favorite flavors: apple, carrot, and peanut butter, and made them into adorable mini cupcakes. These little cakes are gluten-free and relatively "healthy" for dogs, since they contain mostly natural ingredients. Obviously, as with humans, treats should always be enjoyed in moderation. Plus, we gave away half to GM's friend Baxter and his cousin Coco so there's no need to worry about his winter weight gain (yet).

Ingredients [yields 1 dozen mini pupcakes]:
pupcakes
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup grated carrot
2 tablespoons peanut butter (natural, unsweetened)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup oats
½ cup brown rice flour
+ 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles

frosting
¼ cup softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk
+ food coloring
+ dehydrated blueberries (for decorating)

Start by mixing together grated carrot, applesauce, peanut butter, coconut oil, milk, and an egg. Add in oats, salt, baking powder, and brown rice flour and gently stir until just combined.

For a slightly more festive touch, stir in some rainbow sprinkles.

Scoop 1½ tablespoon portions into a greased mini-muffin tin.

Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the pupcakes to cool on a rack.

To make the frosting, whip together cream cheese and milk until smooth. This is quite literally a cream cheese frosting.

For some added flair, add stripes of food coloring to the inside of a piping bag before filling with the cream cheese mixture.

Swirl the frosting onto the completely cooled pupcakes. I did 6 with a generous swirl and 6 with a cuter, smaller dollop.

I'm so lucky that GM loves me and tolerates my photoshoots. He was quickly rewarded and this pupcake got his complete seal of approval.

GM licked off most of the frosting before diving into the cake. I had friends in grade school who also ate their cupcakes this way.

I think this is the depressed face of someone who misses the pupcake he just devoured.

As an afterthought, I added dehydrated blueberries to the top of each frosting swirl. I think it made the treats look a little cuter and more complete.

On Thanksgiving, GM's cousin Coco came over and enjoyed some pupcakes too. She ate them really messily and it was hilarious. I know she loved them so I hope this means she'll be less apprehensive about coming over from now on. (GM and Coco are both awkwardly antisocial dogs - they both love humans but aren't overly comfortable with other dogs, especially strangers - so it was interesting watching them share a space for a few hours while their families gorged on turkey.)

A video posted by ra¢h 💋 (@racheerachh) on Nov 26, 2015 at 2:48pm PST

Here's the recipe page: