Mini Banana Pupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Fair warning: this is a post about my dog….and cupcakes that I baked for my dog….for her birthday.

Eeeek. I feel crazy. If you’re not into dogs, you may not care about this post – that’s okay! Let’s hang out next week with our people food! Deal? Deal.

Teia turned 1 this past Sunday. I can’t believe it’s coming up on a year since we decided to get her on a whim. I convinced Ryan to get a dog on a Thursday night in October, we found Teia online the next day, and took her home that night.

Despite an uncharacteristic lack of research on both our parts, Ryan and I ended up with the sweetest, quirkiest, most lovable little thing. For real, she’s the best.

For a number of reasons that are too overshare-y to post on my internet food space, this year has been a difficult one. On days when I came home as a fiery block of anxiety, seeing excited little Teia greet me at the door made everything feel a little brighter and more manageable.

Good friends and family make all the difference when things are tough, but having a dog squeal and jump so high that they fall on their face (/pee a little) every time they see you? It’s hard not to smile, no matter the circumstances.

I bake to show my love and appreciation, so I figured this pup of mine deserved a treat on her birthday, even though to her it’s just another day in her very exciting world.

These PUPcakes (which are really muffins) come together quickly, require 1 bowl and NO mixer, and are made up of ingredients you probably have on hand. The mini muffins are fluffy and lightly sweet, so you (or your kids) can enjoy them along with your pup. That being said, the frosting isn’t sweetened (because dogs don’t care), so if you’re giving them to humans either 1) eat them without the frosting or 2) add sweetener to taste (maple syrup or honey would work well).

Happy birthday Teia! You da best.

Print Recipe

Mini Banana Pupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Quick and easy "Pupcakes" that can be enjoyed by both dogs and humans! One bowl, simple ingredients, fluffy and lightly sweet.

Yield: 16 pupcakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
• ⅓ cup mashed banana (one small/medium over-ripe banana)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons natural salted peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
3. Add the oil, banana, egg, and honey, and use a fork to mix until incorporated.
4. Grease a mini muffin pan. Drop 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until lightly golden on top.
6. Let cool completely. While cooling, use a fork or whisk to mix together the peanut butter and yogurt.
7. Spread the peanut butter/Greek yogurt mixture on the top of each cupcake.

Adapted from The Scrumptious Pumpkin.

The ingredients in this recipe are safe for *most* dogs, but obviously make sure you know if your dog has any food allergies before baking.

If you're serving these to people, you'll want to sweeten the peanut butter and Greek yogurt mixture so it's more of a frosting - stir in a little honey or maple syrup to taste.