5 Easy-to-Make Holiday Desserts that Won’t Hurt Your Braces

With the holidays right around the corner, tasty desserts will start popping up more at family get-togethers and holiday parties. You can still enjoy the holidays – and all those goodies – by knowing which desserts are friendly to your teeth and braces.

As a general rule, try to stay away from anything hard or crunchy, including desserts with nuts, pretzels or hard candies (hello, candy canes!), or anything sticky or chewy, which can both cause cavities and get stuck in your braces.

Here are 5 easy holiday desserts to try that won’t compromise your teeth, your treatment, or your holiday fun.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Santas

Who doesn’t love a cute Santa? This simple dessert is the perfect bite-sized blend of fruit and whipped cream.

Ingredients

• Fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1 carton of whipped cream
• Mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1.  Slice off the large end of a strawberry to help it stand upright. Slice off the tip off the strawberry to create your Santa hat.
2.  Squeeze some whipped cream onto the body of your strawberry Santa. Place the smaller strawberry piece on top.
3.  Add 2 chocolate chips to create the eyes. Add some whipped cream to the top of the Santa hats, as well as a few dabs for “buttons” down the front of your Santa.

Recipe courtesy of Tasty.co.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These soft, yummy cookies are completely safe to eat with braces and make for a delightfully fun, tasty treat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a medium to large bowl, mix all ingredients together until the cookie dough is thick and creamy.
3.  Using a cookie scoop or your hands, roll dough into small balls, put them on a cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork.
4.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Nutella Mousse

If you thought Nutella was awesome as a spread, you’re going to love this light and fluffy treat!

Ingredients

• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup Nutella

Instructions

1.  Combine heavy whipping cream and Nutella in a mixing bowl and stir with a hand mixer until you see stiff peaks.
2.  Eat immediately or chill until time to serve.

Note: Omit the chopped hazelnut garnish from the original recipe to make this one braces-friendly.

Recipe courtesy of Tried and Tasty.

Holiday Cake Pops

These cake pops are so fun and simple! Make this a fun family night activity by competing to see who can decorate – or eat – their cake pops the fastest!

Ingredients

• 1 box cake mix
• ½ container frosting
• 1 bag of chocolate candy melts
• Lollipop sticks or straws
• Cake or cookie decorations of your choice

Instructions

1.  Bake cake mix according to instructions. Let cool completely.
2.  Crumble up your cake and slowly add frosting until you can roll the mixture into balls. Make sure they’re not too soft or doughy; you want them a bit crumbly to stick together. You can also put your mix into the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to form the balls.
3.  Roll into 1” balls. Take a lollipop stick and make a small hole in each cake ball.
4.  Dip 1 end of each lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, then put the stick back into the hole of the cake pop. This acts as edible glue, making it easier to dip the cake pop later.
5.  Put your cake pops back in the fridge to harden the chocolate around the stick.
6.  When ready, dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate and decorate as desired.
7.  Let the cake pops sit in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.

Recipe courtesy of Lifestyle with Leah.

Holiday Fudge

This is a simple, chocolaty take on another favorite classic holiday treat. Who can resist fudge?

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 ¾ cups chocolate chips
• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional: Frosting, cake sprinkles or other cake decorations of your choice

Instructions

1.  Line an 8”x8” baking pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.
2.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt all ingredients together. Stir until smooth, then pour into the prepared pan.
3.  Optional: Top with the decoration(s) of your choice and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Recipe courtesy of delish.com.

 

Don’t let having braces dampen your holiday spirit! With these tips and a careful eye on the dessert table, you can celebrate the holidays and spend time with your loved ones without worry. If you have any questions about braces-friendly foods or orthodontic treatment in general, contact Fravel Brewer Orthodontics for more information – we are more than happy to help! We wish you the happiest of holidays!