Three years ago this week we brought home our newest family member from an animal shelter in a nearby town. It was a rough car trip for everyone involved but worth every white-knuckled second!

It may feel like a lot of work to make frosted cupcakes for a dog, but I promise it is worth it the moment you see them licking the icing like a particularly fuzzy little kid at a birthday party.

Makes 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (plain, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
2. Line muffin tin with paper liners
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour (1 cup) and baking soda (1 tsp)
4. Add pumpkin puree (1/4 cup), egg (1) and water (3/4 cup)
5. Mix until a wet batter is formed
6. Let your kitchen helper lick the beaters
7. Distribute evenly in 6 lined muffin tins
8. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
9. Let cool completely before offering to your doggo – seriously, they do not understand about blowing on hot food

Bonus – Aquafaba “Frosting”

• No one will complain if you serve these plain, but come on, we are already making cupcakes, let’s go all the way
• Drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas (canned in water, no salt added, no other additives) in a stand mixer
• Mix on medium-high speed until you achieve a texture close to soft whipped cream
• Use right away, the frothiness starts to melt after an hour or so

Notes:

• I have bad news for you, these smell a lot better than they taste, at least to me. The dog loved them though, which is the point. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you if you decide to try one of these yourself.