Frown turned upside down at the mention of... pupcakes

Because all the crazy of 2020 and the sadness of a girl having to go to school without us, one morning I couldn't believe the words coming out of my own mouth - let's have a birthday party for Bernard! Let's make him a cake! Sure it was a great distraction for her but OH the look Andy gave me. Oops. Since when are we "those" people? Apparently now, now we are those people. The planning began, finding the perfect pupcake recipe and then planning the party with our neighbor and her two pups. We opted to celebrate early since time change and cold weather was coming so on a Saturday afternoon in our neighbors yard we tried to get three very excited dogs to wear party hats and one by one watched them wolf down a pupcake. Bernard was the least dainty of all of them, one gulp and it was gone. He even got a bag of new toys and treats from our neighbor pups. What a fun distraction from our somewhat stressful weeks. By the way… Bernard’s birthday is November 4, can you see how far ahead I scheduled this to post? Oof! Half way to his next birthday!

Pupcakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 carrots, peeled and shredded

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
6 Milk-Bone biscuits, small

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 6-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, pumpkin, apple sauce, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir in carrots.
Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and peanut butter.
Use a small offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with decorative tip #1M to frost the cupcakes, garnished with Milk-Bone, if desired.