How to Make Puppy Dog Cupcakes

Please, please, please gimme a cupcake!

Does your canine companion have a birthday coming up? Or would you perhaps just like to surprise him with a tasty treat? Read on to learn how to make these "pupcakes." They are fun and easy to make. Plus, your dog will scarf them right up! No need to worry--they're good for him, too.

Things You'll Need

• 1 to 2 lg. carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 recipe frosting (see below)
• 8 oz cream cheese (use the lowfat variety)
• 2 tbsp. plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tbsp. honey
• Peanut butter for decoration (optional)

Instructions

How to Make Puppy Dog Cupcakes

1. Wash and peel the carrots. Grate them until you have one cup of carrot shreds. (You may eat what remains of the carrots or feed it to your dog if he likes raw carrot). Set the shredded carrots aside for the moment.

2. Mix the flour and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the oil, peanut butter, egg, grated carrots, honey, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

3. Pour the batter into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Each cup should be 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake the pupcakes at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they test done (a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).

4. Let the cakes set for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin cups. They should be cool before you frost them.

How to Make the Frosting

1. Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature. Stir the softened cream cheese until smooth, then blend in the yogurt and honey.

2. Spread the frosting over the pupcakes. If you really want to get fancy, you can mix a little peanut butter with some reserved frosting, then put it into a pastry bag and pipe it onto the frosted pupcakes for decoration.