Paisley's Birthday CupCakes (Dog Birthday CupCake Recipe)

Paisley's birthday is July 5th and every year I am in Kentucky.....breaks my heart to be away from her but luckily she is none the wiser :)

So when I got home this year I wanted to make sure she had a special treat to celebrate.  I know friends who give their dogs an ice cream cone on their birthdays but I was out running errands and knew it would not hold in the car.

So today I am going to share a safe, healthy recipe for dog birthday cupcakes.

Here are the ingredients for this super simple, quick recipe:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (Paisley's favorite is Peter Pan)
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• cream cheese or plain yogurt and extra honey (for frosting, if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  You can either grease (spray with vegetable oil or wipe with butter or oil) a 6 cup ring mold or use a cupcake pan like I did. This recipe ended up making 5 large cupcakes so adjust accordingly if you are serving at a party :)  Yes, people have parties for their animals :)

First, you want to mix the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla and honey in a large bowl and mix very well.

Let your dog lick the spoon from the peanut butter!!

I mean, look at that FACE!!  She is wet from playing outside in the pool and with the hose, her favorite past time!!

Next add the carrots, and stir well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.  If you don't have a sifter (I found a vintage one at a flea market!), use a wire whisk to stir together very well.

Fold into the carrot mixture, again blending well.

Spoon into prepared pan.  I use two tablespoons.

Put in the oven for 20 minutes.  I actually set the timer for 15 and tested with a toothpick in the center and it needed an additional 5 minutes.  These are healthy delicious cakes (of course I tried a piece to make sure!) so they will bake just like a normal cake.

While they are cooking, if you want to make a frosting, mix equal parts of plain yogurt or cream cheese with some honey, for sweetening.  I actually thought I had some plain yogurt at home and I did not, so I just used some Yoplait vanilla yogurt for the top and she loved it!  Yogurt is very good for dogs :)

When they come out of the oven, let them rest in the pan for a few minutes (about 5) and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving to your pup!

Add your candle and take pictures with your drooling dog, this might actually be considered animal abuse as she wanted it so bad!  She always knows when I am making her homemade peanut butter treats (get recipe here) because she gets to lick the spoon.  So she knew something tasty was coming for her!

TA DA!!!

What do you do for your dogs birthday?

Let me know in the comments below!

Let me know when you try this recipe and make sure to send pics!  I love hearing about other peoples dogs :)

Have a great day and stay tuned for the unboxing of Pop Sugar and New Beauty Test Tube, coming up next!

Homemade Dog Treats Tutorial aka Doggy Crack

Our puppy, Paisley, is part Lab and part Rott.  And because she is going to be 3 next month and only 60 lbs, we believe she has something else in her :)  But she is amazing and not only is she incredibly smart but has the best personality, ever!  She also has had an upset stomach lately and about 8 months ago I started making homemade peanut butter dog treats for her.  I want to be able to control what is in them and what she is eating.  So today, I am going to share this recipe for homemade peanut butter dog treats and show you how to make them! She nearly loses her mind every time I make these treats for her.  SO BE CAREFUL, these are addicting!! :) UPDATE-Please note to have your dog eat these within 2 weeks or freeze them, since the ingredients are all fresh, we don't want our pups getting any moldy treats :)

(PS- as you can see here, she looked hungry so I thought it was time to make them again!)

First, here are the ingredients (of course, you can choose whatever brands you like).

2 ¼ whole wheat flour (excess for rolling dough out)

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup rolled oats

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

4 heaping tablespoons peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

First, you want to mix all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl.  I use a whisk just to make sure they are evenly distributed.

Then you want to mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.

Make sure your dog licks the spoon from the peanut butter (before stirring all the wet ingredients together).  Very important step!! :)

Next, you want to combine all the ingredients together, to form a ball.  

Then you want to put some extra flour on your surface and roll the dough out.  I did not want to have to wash the rolling pin, so I merely used the palms of my hands.  You want the dough to be about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inches thick.  

Then cut your shapes! But make sure to keep them the same size so they all cook at the same time.

I got these wonderful dog themed cookie cutters from Wilton.  Get Them Here.

Place on a cookie sheet.  What's nice is since there is nothing in them to make them rise, they can be put right next to each other on the cookie sheet, to utilize the most space.

Cook for 20 minutes (400 degrees).

I usually let them cool on cookie sheets until they are ready for Paisley.

TA DA!!!  

What are your favorite healthy treats for your dogs?

Do you make your own?

Let me know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!!