Cozy Candy Cabin

This candy cabin in the autumn woods is entirely edible. If you like chewy licorice and gummy worms, you might also enjoy munching on the leaf-filled tree tops.

Twizzlers Hershey's Chocolate Twists

Twizzler's Licorice Twists

Twizzler's Pull 'n' Peel (Cherry flavored)

Gummy Worms Gummy Candy

Chickles (minis) Jelly Candy

granulated sugar

confectioner's sugar meringue powder

water

brown food coloring gel

1 plastic 10" cake board

1 spatula (icing spreader)

1 paring knife

1 pair kitchen scissors

cutting board or plate

measuring spoon

measuring cup

1 teaspoon

small saucepan

mixing spoon

mixer with whisk attachment

1 large mixing bowl

1 small bowl

tea towel

roll of black electrical tape

Log cabin structure:

Cut 26 pieces of 4 inch long chocolate twists logs.

Cut 26 pieces of 2 1/2 inch chocolate twists logs. These shorter logs will fit between the long logs.

Chinking is the material used between the logs when building a log cabin. Chinking creates a nice seal between logs which don't perfectly fit together. In this case, royal icing serves chinking for a candy log cabin.

Recipe for royal icing:

4 cups or 1 lb. of confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons of meringue powder

5 tablespoons of water.

Put these three ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk attachment and mix at medium speed for approximately 7-10 minutes until peaks form.

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel to keep the icing from drying out.

Put part of the royal icing in a small bowl and add brown food coloring gel.

Stir until food coloring gel is throughly mixed.

Lay out 4 of the 4 inch chocolate candy logs as shown.

Using a paring knife, spread chinking (royal icing) on top of the candy logs.

Add two long (4 inch) chocolate logs on top of base.

Add two short ( 2 1/2 inch) chocolate logs between the two long logs.

Cover the logs with chinking (brown royal icing).

Keep adding layers of two long logs and two short logs and then cover the tops of the logs with chinking (brown royal icing) until all the chocolate logs are used.

With a paring knife, spread a layer of chinking (brown royal icing) on the inside walls of the cabin.

Cut 7 chocolate logs (starting with a 3" log as the base). Notice the logs form a triangular shape and have notches along the edges.

Using chinking (brown royal icing), attach the 7 pieces to the front and back sides of the cabin as shown.

After the triangular wall piece on the front of the cabin is in place, spread chinking (brown royal icing) on the inside of the triangle and then press extra chocolate log twists into the royal icing to add stability.

Repeat this step on the back side of the cabin and allow to dry.

Cut 9 pieces (each 4" long) from Twizzlers pull 'n' peel cherry candy.

Spread chinking (brown royal icing) on the notches of the triangular upper wall.

Place one 4" candy log at the top of the roof to make the ridge.

Then place 4 more candy logs from the front of the cabin to the back.

Complete the other side of the roof using chinking (brown royal icing) and 4 more candy logs.

Note: To fill any roof gaps, pull apart 1 Twizzler pull 'n' peel and place the single "shoe-lace" strands between the 9 large rolled candy pieces.

Bundle 8 pieces of Twizzler licorice twists together.

Cut 3 pieces of black electrical tape. Wrap the first piece of tape around the base of the 8 candy twists.

Then put the second piece of tape about 1" higher than the base tape. Wrap the third piece of tape no higher than 4" from the base.

Using scissors, level the base of the tree by cutting away excess candy so the tree will stand upright. Be sure to leave 4" for the upper branches.

Repeat two more times to make 3 trees.

With kitchen scissors, snip the upper candy twists lengthwise, making 16 tree branches as shown.

Repeat two more times.

Diagonally snip thin pieces of gummy worms to create a lot of colorful fall leaves.

Uncover the bowl of royal icing and using an icing spatula, generously spread a layer of royal icing snow around the log cabin.

Be sure to cover the entire plastic cake board.

Trees: Insert 3 trees into the royal icing snow. Add extra icing around the base of each tree to ensure stability.

Front door: Using two green mini Chuckles, squish together and flatten the gumdrops. Cut a rectangle and stick to the front of the cabin with royal icing. Add a tiny licorice door handle.

Stepping stones: Cut apart two black mini Chuckles (gumdrops) and press into royal icing.

Window: Flatten 2 yellow Chuckles and cut out a square. Repeat for second window. Attach the windows to the sides of the cabin with royal icing.

Chimney - Cut 1 black Chuckles diagonally on the base and attach on side of roof with royal icing. See finished picture for chimney.

Leaves- Press gummy leaves into the royal icing around the base of the trees and the log cabin.

Mix up a batch of edible clear sugar glue:

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/4 cup water.

Put sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir.

Heat mixture on low to medium setting on stove top until it thickens.

Take off heat.

Using a small spoon, dribble sugar glue onto the tree branches and attach gummy leaves.

Work quickly before glue hardens. Be careful as sugar glue is hot!

Now you have learned all the steps needed to build a log cabin - well, an edible one anyway.

Maybe it's time to sample a little bit of the roof...