12 Days of Christmas — Day 12 – King Street Chronicle

During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This final edition will not include 12 drummers drumming, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and crafts.

Song: “Little Drummer Boy” performed by Mr. Josh Groban and featuring Mr. Andy McKee.

Two and one-fourth cups all-purpose flour
Two teaspoons baking soda
One-half tablespoon ground ginger
One teaspoon ground cinnamon
One-half teaspoon ground cloves
One-fourth teaspoon salt
Three-fourth cup butter, softened to room temperature
One-fourth cup granulated sugar
One-half cup brown sugar, packed
One large egg
One-fourth cup molasses
One teaspoon vanilla extract

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Then add molasses and vanilla and beat on low until combined.

5) Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for two hours, up to overnight.

6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

7) Transfer coarse sugar into a small bowl. Then, use a cookie scoop to scoop out one to two tablespoons of cookie dough at a time, and roll into a one-inch ball. Roll the cookie ball into the bowl of sugar to fully coat it. Place on the lined baking tray, spaced two to three inches apart. You will have to bake in multiple batches or freeze some uncoated cookie balls to bake later.

8) Bake for eight to ten minutes until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for five minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool down completely. If the cookies have a dome to them and are not very crinkled, just before transferring to a wire cooling rack, gently press down on them using the back of a spatula so flatten them out a bit and create the crinkle effect. Then, transfer to the cooling rack to cool down completely.

“On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas,” Courtesy of imdb.com.

2) Pour some pony beads into each cookie cutter. Use a toothpick to stand all of the beads upright and completely fill the cookie cutter. Remove any extra beads.

3) Take your toaster oven outside (or use your barbecue). Place the pan into a cold toaster oven then bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for eight to 12 minutes. (Mine took 11 minutes, but it was a cold day)

4) Remove the pan from the toaster oven when the beads have completely melted together, but before they start to bubble.

6) Gently pull the edges of the cookie-cutter away from the plastic and push out each shape.

7) Using a one-eighth-inch drill bit, drill a hole through each of the ornaments.

8) Tie a short piece of fishing line onto each of the ornaments and hang it on the Christmas tree or on suction cup hooks in the window.

“We visit my parents in Florida every year for Christmas. Last year, because of the pandemic, we didn’t go for the first time since 2009. Florida is special because we are with the family and since we are traveling by plane to get there and back, we don’t focus too much on gifts. We like to tell our kids to ask for one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing to wear, and one thing to read. The photos are of the following: On Christmas eve, we host a party at my parents’ house. Santa Claus usually shows up to ask the kids if they’ve been naughty or nice, and he might have some little treats in his sack. We love nothing more than having a nice breakfast outside on Christmas morning, then we go to church and spend the whole day at the beach. We get dressed up for Christmas dinner and sing Christmas carols around the tree with other families. Finally, there is a huge carnival a few days after Christmas that we love to go to.”