My dog, Gavyn, always poops 2 minutes into his walks or runs. It doesn’t matter where we are on our walk, but that 2 minute time limit is tried and true.

Last month I took him on a run across the University Bridge, which is a drawbridge right next to our new apartment. The bridge goes up every 30 minutes or so to let boats through, but we hit it just perfectly on our run and managed to head straight across without having to wait. At two minutes into our run we were solidly halfway across the bridge when Gavyn ground to a halt, tucking himself into an efficient squat. It was time for his scheduled poop.

I was so distracted by the pretty view of Lake Union that I didn’t notice Gavyn’s sudden halt. Instead I ran smack into him, knocking his little butt with the front of my right shin. He sprang forward and the one turd he’d gotten out went flying through the air, cascading over the edge of the bridge railing in a glorious arc.

I gasped and took off at an even faster pace, pulling Gavyn along behind me. Did the turd hit an unsuspecting kayaker on the head? Did any of the bikers near me see the flying poop? I have no idea. I just kept running as fast as I could, praying that no one saw my pet owner faux pas. Gavyn was so distressed that he didn’t poop for the rest of our 3-mile run. This story makes me laugh every time, though — it’s my go to party chatter this month, just like these cupcakes.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 24 mini cupcakes or 12 normal sized cupcakes. Recipe for the cupcakes adapted from Garnish and Glaze. Recipe for the frosting adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Cupcakes:

• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 t vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Frosting:

• 1.5 8-oz blocks (12 oz total) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a second bowl, combine melted butter, 1 cup sugar, milk, sour cream and vanilla. Separate egg whites from yolks and combine the yolks with the wet ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients and spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (they’ll puff up a bit, so I usually fill the liners about 3/4 of the way full).

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 t cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle each cupcake with cinnamon sugar before putting it in the oven. You should have a bit leftover. Bake these cupcakes for about 13 minutes (larger cupcakes will take closer to 18). They should feel springy to the touch when they’re done and a toothpick should come out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. This will work best if both the butter and cream cheese were left on the counter for an hour or so! Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until there are no lumps. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them and garnish with your remaining cinnamon sugar.