It’s officially fall! Cue the classic Halloween movies, pumpkin spice flavors and fall-scented candles. It may not feel like fall yet here in Florida, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate fall flavors.
If you’re going through orthodontic treatment, you know eating with braces requires some caution. To prevent damage to your brackets or wires, it’s best to avoid any food that’s especially sticky, hard or chewy until your braces are off and your new smile is revealed.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some seasonal sweets! It just means you’re given the opportunity to branch out and try some different recipes that won’t require a braces repair. You never know which recipe could become your new favorite.
Your friends here at Caudill & McNeight Orthodontics have gathered a few easy fall-inspired, sweet treat recipes to kick off the season!
Pumpkin Fudge (Delish Recipe)
Fudge ingredients:
• 3.5 cups of white chocolate chips
• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice, plus a little more for dusting (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• A pinch of kosher salt
Instructions:
- Line an 8”-x-8” pan with parchment paper and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on medium power for 1 minute intervals, stirring after each minute, until smooth.
- Fold in pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours, or until the fudge is set.
- Sprinkle with more pumpkin spice, cut into squares, and enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Cookie Ingredients:
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
• 2 Cups Flour
• 4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. Ginger
• (Optional) 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
• 1/2 Cup Butter (Sweet Cream Salted)
• 8 oz. block of Cream Cheese
• 3 tsp. Vanilla
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
Baking Instructions:
- Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and pumpkin; mix thoroughly!
- Mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together
- Add the two mixes together and mix until blended.
- Once fully blended, drop a spoonful of the cookie batter onto a cookie sheet.
- The cookies will expand in the oven! Create as many cookies as the batter allows.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes.
- Wait 15 minutes for them to cool.
- Ice the cookies with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended.
- Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue to mix until sugar is blended.
- Add cinnamon.
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (A Couple Cooks Recipe)
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups mashed sweet potato (about 1 pound or 2 medium potatoes)
• ½ cup creamy almond butter (substitute cashew butter or sunflower butter for allergies)
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup sugar (granulated or coconut)
• ½ cup all purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free if desired)
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash the sweet potatoes and slice them in half.
- Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and rub them with olive oil, just enough to coat.
- Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.
- Place cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes (smaller potatoes may take 25 minutes; prick with a fork to assess doneness).
- Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper (allowing it to extend out the sides to lift it out later, or just a square if you plan to cut them in the pan). Then grease the entire pan and parchment paper.
- Pull the skin off of the sweet potatoes and mash them, measuring out 1 ½ cups.
- Add the almond butter, cocoa powder, sugar, flour, oil, baking powder, vanilla, and kosher salt until a thick dough forms.
- Fold in ¼ cup of the dark chocolate chips.
- Place the batter in the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until set but soft in the center.
- Cool for 1 hour, and enjoy!
Try out one of these recipes. Or try all three recipes in one night… No one’s judging. Carve out some family time and enjoy any of these fall recipes with your loved ones!
Clean teeth reminder: Don’t forget to brush and floss your teeth after eating sweets. It’s important that you clean your teeth and braces thoroughly to prevent bacteria from building up between your teeth, and around your brackets or wires. Excessive sugar can also wear down your enamel, and your enamel is essential for maintaining strong teeth.
Leave a comment down below if you have a favorite braces-friendly fall recipe you want to share!
If you’re looking for a top orthodontist in Viera, Merritt Island or Melbourne, come experience the vibes! We’d love to meet you. Request a complimentary exam for you or your child today.
