The boys have been obsessed with birthday parties lately. Easton is already planning his 6th birthday … which is at the end of December. Needless to say, that’s not on my radar yet.
But our French bulldog, Bruno, celebrated his 5th birthday this week, and Easton wanted to make sure Bruno got a party too. We had an intense conversation about what theme Bruno might prefer (the consensus: Disney’s”Puppy Dog Pals”) and whether they allow dogs in bounce houses (answer: nope, sorry).
So the pressure was on to find some way to celebrate the dog’s birthday that would placate the boys. I decided baking a dog cake would be enough entertainment for all of us. But in reviewing recipes and ingredients, I quickly realized that the so-called “pupcakes” were very similar to the peanut butter-banana-oatmeal muffins I make as healthy breakfast snacks for myself. All they needed was a dog-safe frosting, and we could all enjoy a birthday treat for Bruno.
This recipe is perfect because it’s natually sweetened, with no refined sugar and no white flour either. It’s a cupcake (or muffin) recipe you can feel good feeding to your kids and your pets. Plus, with carrots added to the batter for moisture, you are getting a few extra veggies into everyone’s diet.
Since it was a party, we decorated the cupcakes with “sprinkles” and dog bone-shaped graham cracker sticks. If your audience is only canine, you can top it with an actual dog bone instead. For our human cupcakes, we added some mini chocolate chips to make it more decadent. Just make sure you don’t accidentally feed those to the dog!
Made in the food processor, this recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes, and frosted cupcakes were ready to be devoured in under 30 minutes. Let me tell you – devoured they were indeed, by bulldog and children alike.
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Not-Just-For-Dogs Healthy Peanut Butter Banana "Pupcakes"
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup quick 1-minute oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 Scooby-Doo! Cinnamon Graham Cracker Sticks
- Unsweetened coconut flakes (optional - for sprinkling on top of frosting)
- Mini chocolate chips (optional - for sprinkling on top of frosting FOR HUMANS ONLY! No chocolate chips for dogs)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
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Line muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease pan liberally.
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Add all ingredients to food processor or blender.
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Blend until thoroughly combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy with the consistency of thick applesauce.
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Dive batter among muffin cups. Each will be almost level to top of the liner.
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Bake for 20 minutes.
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Let cool completely before frosting with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese frosting.
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Optional: For "pupcakes" for your canine friends, sprinkle frosted cupcakes with unsweetened coconut flakes. For humans, sprinkle frosted cupcakes with a few mini chocolate chips.
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After frosting, decorate each cupcake with 1 Scooby-Doo graham cracker stick.
Recipe Notes
- Makes 30 mini muffins or 12 full-size cupcakes. I chose to make both, and the recipe yielded 6 full-size cupcakes and 14 mini muffins.
- This recipe tastes delicious as a muffin too! Just omit the frosting and enjoy after baking.
- To save time, you can use baby carrots instead of shredded carrots. I used 1 heaping cup of baby carrots and a food processor to easily puree them.
- Do not overbake. When piercing with a toothpick, a small amount of batter may remain on the toothpick. This is due to the moist nature of the batter from the carrots, coconut oil and oatmeal instead than traditional flour and oil.
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup cream cheese softened or at room temperature
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
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Combine ingredients in medium-sized mixing bowl.
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Use electric mixer to beat until fluffy and desired frosting consistency is achieved.
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Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with unsweetened coconut flakes (safe for dogs) or mini chocolate chips (humans only!!)
Recipe Notes
- The thickness and consistency of the frosting will depend on the type of peanut butter used. I use a natural peanut butter that is thicker. If frosting seems too thick, add additional milk, 1 tsp at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
- Frosting is sticky, so I recommend piping rather than spreading to frost.
- Frosting recipe yields enough to pipe frosting on 12 full-size cupcakes.
- To keep natural sugar low, I sweetened the frosting with just a tablespoon of honey. My husband thought the frosting was a little too tangy for his liking. Add more honey to taste if you prefer a sweeter frosting.
- Decorate frosted cupcakes with 1 Scooby-Doo! graham cracker stick and sprinkle with unsweetened coconut flakes and/or mini chocolate chips depending on your audience. (No chocolate for dogs!)
- Store frosted cupcakes in fridge.
The only thing quicker than making this recipe is your birthday bulldog inhaling them! Bruno’s cupcake was gone in about 5 seconds flat and then he was nosing around all of us, trying to get some extra crumbs.
I hope your pup and kiddos enjoy this healthy dessert recipe as much as mine did! Share your dog birthday photos with #NeverDoneWithFun (because there’s nothing better than dogs eating cake).
