Crunchy apples covered in sticky caramel and nuts, jawbreakers, popcorn balls, bubble gum for ghosts and goblins with braces on their teeth, there might be more tricks than treats in their Halloween bags.

Kids (and adults) who wear braces must avoid a lot of foods, including many of the treats handed out for Halloween.

Suckers, chewing gum, taffy, caramels, fruit chews and gummy bears all are on the ''No'' list that Cuyahoga Falls orthodontist Michael Jack gives his patients.

Jack's cardinal rules: Avoid foods that are sticky and foods that are hard.

Sticky foods can pop wires or loosen the bands orthodontists place on molars, while hard items like candy, ice or carrot sticks tend to break brackets on front teeth, he said.

For Jack, the most frightening part of Halloween is the glut of emergency appointments that will jam his schedule after trick-or-treating is over and his patients are feasting on bags of candy.

''Halloween and Easter, you always see it go up. There's a lot more broken appliances and loose brackets and things, and that's what it's from, that's exactly what it's from. You can tell these kids things and they don't always listen,'' he said.

Pamela Waterman understands Jack's pain. The Mesa, Ariz., author has spent the better part of the last 10 years with one or another of her three daughters in braces.

Last year, she and her youngest daughter, Brenda, 14, released The Braces Cookbook, a collection of 50 braces-friendly recipes.

Waterman, who has written art and science books for children, said the braces book was Brenda's idea. It came about when she was 11 and into her third of six years she would spend in various stages of orthodontia.

She was craving a caramel apple forbidden fruit for anyone in braces and decided to create her own braces-friendly version by peeling and thinly slicing an apple and then dipping the slices into softened caramel dip.

Waterman praised her daughter's ingenuity. ''She said, 'There should be a whole cookbook of ideas like this,' and I said, 'Let's do it.'''

The pair set out to put together a collection of foods main dishes, breakfast fare, vegetable side dishes, drinks and desserts that are easy on the teeth for those in braces, particularly on sore-mouth days after wires have been tightened.

It was released in 2006, and was recently honored with the Best Cookbook Glyph Award for 2007 from the Arizona Book Publishing Association, which recognizes publishers and books produced in that state.

Waterman said she had collected some recipes before they started the book, including cookies that stay soft after they cool, and a crustless quiche, a dinner favorite in the Waterman home.

She and her daughter also found inspiration in the refrigerator magnet list of foods to avoid that their orthodontist had provided. ''We kind of saw it as a challenge and came up with a substitution special,'' she said.

Corn on the cob was replaced with Three Corn Extravaganza casserole; beef jerky became Shredded Jerky Jumbles.

A recent survey of braces wearers by the Natural Dentist, a manufacturer of natural dental products, showed corn on the cob and candy were the top two most difficult items to eat with braces, but also the two that braces wearers were planning to eat first when their braces come off.

As of September, all of Waterman's children were out of braces just in time for the 52-year-old to get her own put back on to correct some shifting. She's already at work on another book, tentatively titled Braces, Business and Brown Bag Lunches, which will be geared toward adults who wear braces and face eating challenges in the workplace, particularly at business lunches.

The Braces Cookbook sells for $9.95 and is available for order at http://www.bracescookbook.com.

Following are recipes from Waterman's book. The Fudge Toppers are a favorite of kids, while the Crustless Quiche is an adult pleaser, she said.

FUDGE TOPPERS

1/2 cup margarine, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

Topping:

12 oz. chocolate chips

3 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the margarine and sugar, using an electric mixer and blending well.

Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and milk, beating until soft.

Batter will be slightly stiff. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 11 minutes.

For the topping: In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with the milk, stirring together over low heat until smooth.

Use a small spoon or knife to quickly spread a teaspoon of the chocolate topping on each cookie while the topping is still warm. Store in a covered container.

Makes about 4 dozen.

CRUSTLESS QUICHE

3 eggs

1/2 cup packaged biscuit mix

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 can (6 oz.) crabmeat, drained and flaked apart

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or spray a 10-inch pie pan or quiche dish. In a large bowl, with a whisk, beat the eggs, biscuit mix, vegetable oil and milk. Pour mixture into pan; it will be lumpy. Sprinkle on the cheese and crabmeat. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Variations: Substitute Cheddar cheese for the Swiss, bacon bits or shredded deli ham for the crab.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

THREE CORN EXTRAVAGANZA

1 lb. package frozen corn, thawed

1 (14-oz.) can cream-style corn

1 box corn muffin mix (6-8-oz.)

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup margarine, cut into bits

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 3-quart casserole dish (or a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker) combine all ingredients and stir together well.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or about 3 hours in the slow cooker on low to medium setting.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.