During the 12 days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This eleventh edition will not include eleven pipers piping, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and crafts.
Song: “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” performed by Mr. Perry Como.
Recipe: Reindeer Brownies
Total Time: 55 minutes
Quantity: 12 brownies
Ingredients:
- One and one-half cups of unsalted butter
- One cup of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- One-fourth cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- One and one-half teaspoons of baking powder
- One and one-half teaspoons of salt
- Eight ounces of semisweet chocolate
- One and one-fourth cups of sugar
- Three large eggs
- One and one-half cups of unsalted butter
- One and one-half cups of unsweetened cocoa powder
- One teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Two tablespoons of whole milk or cream
- One and one-half cups of confectioners’ sugar
- Pretzel twists, red M&Ms, and candy eyes
Steps:
- First, make the brownies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure that the bowl and water do not touch. Heat, stirring often, until melted; remove from heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the eggs and stir to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, dividing evenly (each cup should be about two-thirds full). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the brownies in a pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- After the brownies are done, make the buttercream. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until it is light and creamy, about one to two minutes. Beat in cocoa powder, vanilla, and cream, scraping sides as necessary, until they combine, for about one minute. Add half of the confectioners’ sugar and mix. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar; beat for one minute.
- Finally, frost the brownies with the buttercream. Place the eyes and noses in the the frosting. Cut 12 pretzel twists in half to make antlers. Press the antlers into the frosting.
Movie: A Christmas Carol
“Though London awaits the joyful arrival of Christmas, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) thinks it’s all humbug, berating his faithful clerk and cheerful nephew for their view. Later, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late business partner, who warns that three spirits will visit him that night. The ghosts take Scrooge on a journey through his past, present, and future in the hope of transforming his bitterness,” courtesy of rottentomatoes.com.
Activity: Reindeer Bookmark
Supplies:
- Brown paper
- Yellow paper
- Small red pom poms
- Black Sharpie marker pen
- Craft eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
Instructions:
- Start with a square of brown paper and cut it in half to make two rectangles.
- Use one rectangle for each paper reindeer bookmark. Start by folding the rectangle in half lengthwise.
- Then fold it in half widthwise to make the center line and open it up again.
- Take one side and fold it along the center line so that it is pointing downwards.
- Repeat with the other side.
- Fold about a third of each flat end upwards.
- Fold the corners of each flat end over about one centimeter.
- Glue on the craft eyes and the red pom pom nose and draw a smile.
- Cut yellow paper for the antlers and an ear for the reindeer.
- Glue the antlers onto the back of the reindeer’s head and the ear onto the front.
Memory: Mrs. Aixa Candanosa
“One of my favorite Christmas Day traditions is opening our presents in our brand new Christmas pajamas. Since my girls were little, it has brought me such joy to choose and select different fun patterns that embody the happiness we feel during the holiday season. I love looking around at my family on Christmas morning with our messy hair and beautiful matching pajamas. Feliz Navidad!”
Featured Image by Avery Quake ’26
