This cupcake recipe for dogs is adorable for birthdays, occasions, or just because! All you need is one bowl and a few simple ingredients to create these wholesome, tasty Peanut Butter Pupcakes for your four-legged best friend.
These cute little things? Oh, those are doggie cupcakes. Or, as the trendy folks call them, pupcakes. Yes, I made cupcakes for my dog. I’m that person. And I’m proud of it. It is my firm belief that dogs deserve to have cupcakes, too.
If you’ve been around here long, you’ve probably read about our pup Scout – maybe you’ve even read this story or this one. When we met her over a year and a half ago, we had NO intentions of getting a dog anytime soon. We didn’t have our own place, didn’t want the responsibility, I had recently said goodbye to my childhood dog, etc. There were plenty of reasons excuses for us not to have a dog. And then there was Scout. The only reason we did need a dog. 15 pounds of adorable, salt-and-pepper, puppy-dog-eyed, skittish and unsure and given-up-on, Scout. So Clark and I did what any reasonable human beings would do. We collectively melted into a puddle and decided that we obviously had to keep her.
Since then –
She’s made us laugh until we cry.
Impressed us with her rock climbing skills.
Cuddled with us for countless hours.
Refused to sit still for any cute photo-op EVER.
Made friends with a select few other dogs 🙄.
Kept my feet warm.
Learned to catch balls and frisbees and not bring them back.
And most importantly, she has brought us so much happiness. Corny? I don’t care.
When you love something as much as we love her, it bears celebrating. Whether you’ve got two legs or four, everyone deserves to have their own special day, if you ask me. We have no idea when she was really born so we decided to pick an approximate date based on how old the vet thought she might be. That day was Thursday and in our book, she’s now officially two years old.
We were planning to buy a kiddie pool and hang out in the sunshine alllll day with her cousin Molly… but the weather had other plans. 50 degrees and rain plans. So we went for a brisk morning walk and then started baking these pupcakes right away.
Scout was our taste-tester in chief all along the way. She sampled the sweet potato chips, the sweet potato frosting, and the pupcake batter. And she even got to lick the peanut butter spoon and the batter bowl after we were done. She wasn’t exactly the most cooperative when I tried to take her picture but hey – her birthday, her prerogative.
Why should you make homemade dog treats?
I’m so glad you asked!
- Homemade treats, like these, are made with healthy, wholesome, and safe ingredients. I wouldn’t feed our pup anything less!
- Making your own treats is actually quite affordable. They’re less expensive than almost any natural or organic dog treat.
- Have you SEEN how many recalls happen with dog treats and food? 😱 nope. nope. nope.
And as far as taste goes, these pupcakes are actually pretty yummy. For humans, they’re a little on the bland side. But for dogs? I bet it’s a mouth party. Scout’s eyes popped wide open – cartoon style – when she bit into her first pupcake. I tried to get a picture of that but, you know, the whole not cooperating for photo-ops thing.
This should go without saying BUT – if you make these for your pupper, I had better see evidence on Instagram. Got it? Good. 🐶
Peanut Butter Pupcakes
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Add honey, peanut butter, apple sauce, and egg and stir until well combined.
- Preheat oven to 350º and lightly grease a mini muffin tin. Fill the 3/4 full and bake 12-15 minutes. (You can also use a full-sized muffin tin, but Scout is a smaller dog so we made smaller muffins!)
- Peel sweet potato and chop into small cubes.
- In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add chopped sweet potato. Boil 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain and allow to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine sweet potato and coconut cream and beat until smooth.
- Once the pupcakes are cooled, top with the frosting!
- Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel sweet potato and slice VERY thin. Using a mandolin makes this much easier.
- Spray lightly with olive oil or coconut spray. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Stick the chips into the frosting and serve to your four-legged friends!
Notes
*PS – If you don't feel like creating the sweet potato frosting, these are also great with a swipe of peanut butter on top. Scout approved both versions!
The directions call for egg; however, the ingredients do not list any egg?
It’s me. I worry. Every time I see a recipe for dogs that contains peanut butter, I want to add in big letters, PLEASE BE SURE YOUR PEANUT BUTTER DOES NOT CONTAIN XYLITOL. Why companies put xylitol in peanut butter I’ll never know, but it is deadly to dogs, even in small amounts.
Hi Rebecca – Thanks for noting that. I’ll add it to my recipe notes to flag the concern for others. We never purchase that kind of peanut butter but I’d hate for someone to make that mistake!
These are great ! I like knowing I am not the only blogger celebcelebrating her dog’s birthday with such fancy confections ! There has to be more of us ! I am thinking a pupcake recipe round up lol. Scout is a cutie and very lucky to you ! Happy Birthday Scout !