Salty Sweet Log Cabin Recipes

Steps:

• 1. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the morsels for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the mixture is just melted and smooth. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and snip a small hole in one corner.
• 2. Pipe the mixture all over one long side of an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan set on your serving dish. Pipe onto 1 pretzel rod and press, coated side down, onto the bottom of the coated long side of the pan. Pipe more on top of the rod and stick another rod on top. Repeat to cover that side of the pan. Repeat on the other long side. Break the remaining pretzel rods in half and repeat to cover the short sides of the pan. Refrigerate until set.
• 3. Pipe a thick line on the top edges of the long sides of the pan. Press 1 graham cracker on each side so that they meet in the middle to form a peaked roof. Pipe a thick line where the crackers meet. Break the remaining graham cracker in half and repeat to complete the roof. Refrigerate until set.
• 4. Pipe all over the graham crackers. Gently press the cereal onto the "roof" to resemble snowy. shingles. Cut the salted crackers into door and window shapes. Pipe all over the flat sides and press into place. Pipe all over the serving dish around the house and gently press coconut all around to resemble fallen snow. Refrigerate until set. Pull apart to eat.

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide dough into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with a scraper (if using) and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make pie shell:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under slightly and press against rim of pie plate. Decoratively crimp. Chill shell 30 minutes.
• Lightly prick bottom and side of shell with a fork. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is pale golden along rim and set underneath weights, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and side are golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.
• Make filling and bake pie:
• Whisk together yolks and salt in a bowl until blended, then whisk in syrup and lemon juice. Stir in pecans and pour filling into pie shell, spreading nuts evenly. Cover edge of shell with a pie shield or foil and bake just until filling is set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature on rack.

Steps:

• Put about 1 cup peanut butter in a resealable plastic bag and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Squeeze peanut butter to one corner of bag and snip off 1/8 inch from corner to form a makeshift pastry bag. (Do not use a real pastry bag.)
• Make base:
• Secure 2 pretzels to a serving board or plate with dabs of peanut butter, arranging them parallel to each other about 2 inches apart, and pipe peanut butter alone top of them, beginning and ending 1/4 inch from each end of pretzel. Put 2 pretzels across base to form a square, arranging them 1/4 inch from ends and pressing them into peanut butter.
• Continue building sides of log cabin in same manner, using peanut butter as mortar, until log cabin is 6 pretzels high on all sides.
• Make roof:
• To make roof supports, secure an upright pretzel in center of each of 2 shorter cabin walls, attaching them to inside walls with peanut butter. Break 2 pretzels in half and prop 2 halves at a 45°F. angle against each upright support, securing ends with peanut butter to top of upright and to cabin corners.
• Beginning at base of roof, arrange pretzels across roof supports, piping peanut butter on each pretzel before attaching it and attaching each succeeding pretzel to an opposite side of roof.
• Make 7 more cabins in same manner with remaining pretzels and peanut butter. Cabins may be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
• Make trees:
• Glue 3 pretzels together lengthwise with peanut butter to form a thick trunk and glue 3 broken pretzels of varying lengths to lower end of trunk. Glue parsley sprigs to trunk with more peanut butter. Make 7 more trees in same manner. Use a dab of peanut butter on serving board or plate to stand tree upright.
• Make campfires:
• Glue broken pretzels in a campfire pattern with peanut butter on serving board or plate in front of cabin and glue red pepper flames to inside of campfire. Make 7 more campfires in same manner.