Braces Cookbook

With Halloween coming up and the holiday season not far behind, this time of year can be a challenging time for those who wear braces, especially children and teenagers.

And it’s difficult for parents to come up with tasty meals that also are good for their braces-wearing children.

The Braces Cookbook provides recipes that will make you and your children happy. Your orthodontist will be too!

At M. Scott Runnels Orthodontics and Dentofacial Pediatrics in Destin and Panama City Beach, we can help you and your family with diet tips for those who wear braces. To learn more or to schedule an appointment for your child, contact Runnels Orthodontics today.

Author Pamela Waterman was recently featured in a piece from www.chicagonow.com

Waterman wore braces for five years and later had three daughters who underwent orthodontic care. Those experiences inspired her to write The Braces Cookbook, which she co-wrote with daughter Brenda Waterman.

The book offers fantastic tips to keep foods soft and covers ingredients, food prep methods and the completed dishes.

One example: Use cocoa powder rather than melted baking chocolate to help keep delicious Fudgy Cocoa Bites from becoming bracket breakers.

Another tip: Keep apple crisp covered when you take it out of the oven. This leaves the dish not too crisp, with topping more like streusel.

As a parent, Waterman understands that busy parents of children with sore mouths likely don’t want to spend oodles of time coming up with a difficult soufflé. The recipes are simple enough that they encourage kids to take part in the cooking process.

And helping prepare a meal can help kids take their minds off their mouths!

The Braces Cookbook also highlights foods that are best for kids on days when their teeth are especially tender. There’s also advice on comfort tips, tips for dining out and braces-friendly online resources.

Here’s one recipe from the Watermans’ for cookies that are braces-friendly. They taste like soft shortbread. The cookies bake quickly and taste great.

Jiffy Jam Delights Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• One egg
• One teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

Topping:

• About a cup of jam, which is better than jelly because it’s thicker. You can opt to use different jams to make different flavored cookies.
• Preheat oven to 350 and bake for nine minutes.

In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, mix margarine, salt, sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Mix in flour. The dough should be soft and a little crumbly.

Place by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Dip a teaspoon in water. Use the backside of the tip to create a dent in the middle of each cookie. Dip the spoon in water each time. This keeps dough from sticking. Fill each dent with one teaspoon of jam. Bake for nine minutes at 350. The cookies should be light-colored with a hint of brown around the edges.

This makes about 24 cookies, which you can keep in a covered container.

Enjoy!