If you have ever had a dog, you will know how they work their way into your heart and become a part of your family.  It has been observed by many that our dogs are spoiled, including by my 15-year-old who is pretty sure that I love the dogs more than him (now that he is a teen-ager, there may be moments when this could be true)!  When our dogs adopted two of our outdoor chairs as their favourite resting spot, did we kick them off?  Nope, we bought blankets to cover to keep the dog hair off the cushions.  Frankly, I am just happy that Gryff is now using the chairs instead of shredding the cushions, which he did as a pup!  Without them my house would be cleaner, I would have more money in the bank and a few more pairs of shoes, but my home and my heart would not be as full of love!

 

So when one of our furry babies is having a birthday you can bet that he will be getting birthday cake!  Clyde just turned two and he got a batch of Peanut Butter – Bacon Pupcakes.  The only thing he did not like about them was sharing them with his doggy brother, Gryffindor!

 

The best thing about baking for our four-legged friends is that they are not that picky! If you don’t have a ripe banana in the house (but really who doesn’t), use ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree. No bacon?  No problem!  Throw in some chopped deli meat, cooked sausage or leftover meat from last night’s dinner, or simply leave it out…they will still love them!

 

If you want to use these as everyday treats, bake them in 2 mini-muffin pans (24 muffins) for about 8 minutes.  Do not frost them with the peanut butter and store them in the freezer.

Dybosyia!

Doggie Cupcakes

makes 6 large or 12 mini

1  ripe banana mashed

25 g (½ cup)  grated carrots

15 ml (1 tbsp)  canola oil

50 g (3 tbsp)  peanut butter

1 large egg

58 g (½ cup) whole-wheat flour

40 g (¼ cup)  quick oats

2.5 ml (½ tsp)  baking powder

40 g (6 tbsp)  cooked, chopped bacon; plus larger pieces for garnish if desired

130 g (½ cup)  smooth peanut butter, for frosting (optional)

 

Spray (or line with cupcake liners) 6 large muffin tins or 12 mini muffin tins and preheat the oven to 350˚.  Mix all ingredients together.  Divide evenly among prepared muffin tins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Allow to cool completely.  If frosting, spread or pipe peanut butter onto top of cooled muffins.  Garnish with large bacon pieces.

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