Pupcakes for my Pup

Last week was my puppy’s 1st birthday.  And in my traditional Martha Stewart-ish fashion (that’s sarcasm) I baked “pupcakes” to celebrate! 

 Okay, so I did make the party hat, which is totally Martha Stewart-ish, but it’s only because I didn’t feel like going out to buy pre-made ones.

Anyway, I know you can buy baked goods for dogs, but if I have the time and patience (rarely), I hate to pay for something I know I can do myself (party hats, car wash, paint, curtains…well those didn’t turn out so well, but you get the picture).  So I went on a quest for something I could make for Gracie so the boys and I could celebrate.  This quest really just took a quick Google, click and print, so it was more like a jaunt than a quest, but whatever. 

I came upon a recipe for Apple Crunch Pup Cakes, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

 

The ingredients were basic and the dog absolutely LOVED them and practically inhaled them. 

The boys decided to try them as well and the reaction wasn’t as enthusiastic.  Maybe if I just fed them kibble three times a day, they’d appreciate the Pup Cakes as much as Gracie did, sheesh.  Seriously though, while the ingredients were all “human-grade” foods, these were a special treat just for the pup since it is designed to be basic and bland for their sensitive doggie tummies. 

Here’s the birthday party in action.  Poor Gracie is looking at me just begging with her eyes to take that silly hat off her:

So this is definitely a recipe I’ll keep to make as a treat for her every once in a while.  Notice in the pictures I baked them in paper cupcake liners…don’t do it.  Follow the recipe, unlike me, and just bake them directly in the cupcake tins.  The paper did NOT peel off those suckers.  Also, they do not keep very long, so plan on either sharing these with other doggie friends, saving them to use as paper weights in a few days, or give them to that neighbor you don’t like…oh don’t act like there isn’t one in your neighborhood. Every neighborhood has one. I’m just kidding, sort of.

Anyway, happy birthday Gracie!  You make me laugh every day with your silly, boxer antics.  Take a look at this face and you can see why I just LOVE her to pieces!

Apple Crunch Pup Cakes

• 2 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup dried apple chips ( you can also use fresh fruit)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten slightly
• 4 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooling spray. Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add wet to dry slowly , scraping well to make sure no dry mixture is left. Pour into muffin tins. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out dry. Store in a sealed container. Makes around 12-14 pupcakes.

Dog Food Recipes courtesy of I-Love-Dogs.com