Yesterday, as part of our 25 Days of Christmas Advent, we celebrated “Rudolph Day.” The kids and I enjoyed a great new set of Rudolph books, watched the movie together, and enjoyed Rudolph rolls and cookies. It was a simple but fun evening – made special by just a touch of whimsy and lots of time spent together.

The kids just loved the Rudolph Rolls (as did my friends on my personal Facebook), so I wanted to share them with you today!

You could use just about ANY roll recipe you like for these Rudolph Rolls. You could even use those frozen rolls they sell at the store. You’d just need to thaw them out. These were pretty easy to make, and the effect is so worth it. I loved watching my kids just light up at the sight of these rolls. (They sure made our turkey noodle soup dinner something special!) These rolls would be perfect for your next holiday party or dinner too!

rudolph rolls

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour (plus a little more to work with at the end)

1 pkg. (or 2 1/4 t) active dry yeast (check the date!)

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 c water

1/3 c milk

1 T margarine or butter

1 egg

raisins

maraschino cherries, halved

To Prepare

This seems like a TON of steps, but like I said, you could really use ANY roll recipe or thawed out dough balls from the store! This was a fun project to get my son involved with too. He had a lot of fun helping shape the dough, and really loved being in charge of the eyes and noses.

1. Mix 1  1/2 cups of the flour together with the yeast, sugar and salt.

2. Heat the water, milk, and margarine in a small saucepan until lukewarm. (You can also heat in the microwave for 1 minute, and then allow to cool for just a few minutes.)

3. Add the milk mixture to the yeast and flour mixture and stir well.rolls

4. Add the egg and mix well.

5. Add in the remaining cup of flour. The dough should form a nice ball,but may be slightly sticky. Add an extra 1/2 cup flour if needed.

6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead your dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

7. It’s time to shape the dough! Here comes the fun!

Start by creating balls of dough for the heads of your reindeer. Place the dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet. To create the antlers, make two small dough “snakes.” Cut a slit down the middle of the snake to create a deep “V.” Attach the “V” to one side of the dough ball head. Repeat for the other side.

Your antlers do not need to be perfect. However, take care to space the sides of the “V” , so they don’t grow back together while rising or baking.

8. Place two raisins on the dough ball “head” to create eyes. Place one maraschino cherry that has been cut in half on the dough ball to create Rudolph’s infamous nose.

9. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

10. Cover your completed rolls and allow them to rise for 20 minutes.

11. Bake the rolls for approximately 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

 

Enjoy these fun and festive rolls!

Want even MORE Reindeer Fun? Check out my Reindeer Activities for Kids!! 

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