During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This fourth edition will not include four calling-birds, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and crafts.
Song: “Run Rudolph Run” performed by Chuck Berry.
Recipe: Gingerbread Rolls
Total time:
2 hours and 55 minutes
Makes:
12 rolls
Ingredients for the dough:
One-fourth cup of granulated sugar
One tablespoon of dry active yeast (not instant or rapid rise)
One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Three-fourths teaspoon of ground ginger
One-half teaspoon of kosher salt
One-eighth teaspoon of ground cloves
Three and one-half cups of all-purpose flour, divided
One cup of whole milk
Two tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the bowl
One large egg
Two tablespoons of molasses
Ingredients for the dough:
One-half cup of packed light brown sugar
Six tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
One tablespoon of ground cinnamon
One and one-half teaspoons of ground ginger
One-fourth teaspoon of ground cloves
All-purpose flour, for work surface
Ingredients for the topping:
Four ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
One-half teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
One and one-third cup of confectioners sugar, divided
Two teaspoons of molasses
One teaspoon of warm water
Steps
1) Whisk together sugar, yeast, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, and one and three-fourths cups flour in a bowl.
2) Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan.
3) Cook over low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture reads between 105°F and 110°F on an instant-read thermometer.
4) Add milk mixture, egg, and molasses to flour mixture.
5) Beat with a dough hook attached to a stand mixer, on low speed, until moistened. Continue beating, gradually adding remaining one and three-fourths cups flour, until smooth and pliable, four to five minutes.
6) Transfer dough to a lightly buttered mixing bowl.
7) Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Set bowl in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
8) Combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a bowl.
9) Butter a 9-by-13-inch or 8-by-8-inch baking dish.
10) On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle.
11) Spread with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting from the long side, roll up into a log. Cut into 12 (if using a 9-by-13-inch baking dish) or nine (if using an 8-by-8-inch baking dish) pieces and place, cut sides up, in a prepared dish.
12) Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
13) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake until cooked through and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
14) Combine cream cheese, vanilla, and one cup confectioners sugar in a bowl.
15) Whisk together molasses, water, and remaining one-third cup confectioners sugar in a separate bowl.
16) Spread cream cheese mixture on warm rolls, then drizzle with molasses glaze.
Movie: “Eloise at Christmastime“
“The holiday season isn’t complete without Julie Andrews. She stars in Eloise at Christmastime as the nanny of a spunky 6-year-old named Eloise, who has a mission to reunite two young lovers — while chasing them around the Big Apple,” courtesy of goodhousekeeping.com.
Craft: Toilet Paper Roll Snowman
Supplies:
Clean toilet paper rolls (or a paper towel tube or a gift wrap tube, cut down to size)
Pipe cleaners
Small googly eyes
Small pom poms
Ribbon
Glue
Black and orange Sharpies
Scissors
Instructions:
1) Start by gluing on two googly eyes about a quarter of the way down a toilet paper tube.
2) Cut a length of ribbon (about 8 inches long) and tie it around the toilet paper tube below the eyes to make a scarf.
3) Using the Sharpies, draw a carrot nose, a coal mouth, and buttons on the tube.
4) Cut a 3-inch piece of pipe cleaner and glue pom-poms onto either end of the pipe cleaner to make the earmuffs.
5) Once the glue is dry, bend the pipe cleaner and place the earmuffs around the top of the tube. Glue the two pom-poms onto either side of the tube to hold the earmuffs in place.
Memory: Payton Sfreddo ‘24
“My favorite Christmas memory is every year when my mom takes my siblings and I to take a picture with Santa. We have over 14 pictures from every December of my family with Santa. It is such a fun tradition because once we take that picture, I am always immediately in the Christmas spirit.”
Featured Image by Charlotte Burchetta ’22