There are several ways to create the look of a pool, pond, river or stream for your Gingerbread House landscaping.
My favorite method for creating water features in my gingerbread landscaping is using the Hard Candy Recipe method.
Place a piece of blue construction paper onto a non-stick cookie sheet; or place blue paper directly onto your gingerbread house base/yard. Cook a batch of clear hard candy as below (please note - this hard candy is VERY hot and not recommended for children to make):
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup light com syrup
Combine sugar, hot water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan.
Place on high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until all sugar crystals are dissolved. Clip on thermometer.
Continue cooking, without stirring, to 290F, then remove from heat.
Entire cooking process takes about ten minute.
While the hard candy syrup is hot, pour a puddle of clear hard candy onto the blue paper. This provides the look of depth, as you look through the clear candy onto the blue paper.
Let harden (about 20 minutes).
If using a cookie-sheet remove the paper/hard-candy pond from your cookie sheet and place on your gingerbread base/yard.
Spread frosting around the edges of the clear hard candy to form the desired shape.
The house in the photo's above is the Cal Young gingerbread house. This is a fairly simple house and makes for a large gingerbread display.
Gingerbread-By-Design provides The Best Gingerbread Templates! View the entire collection here!
