Polar Bear Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups blue moon ice cream, softened
• 
  ICING:
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• Assorted gel or liquid food coloring
• 1 peppermint stick
• 1-1/4 cups whipped topping

Directions

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, almonds and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Press 1 cup of dough onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out one 2-in. x 1-1/4-in. rectangle. Using a 4-in. bear cookie cutter, cut out three bears. Bake at 350° for 8-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Save dough scraps for another use. Spread the ice cream over the cooled crust; cover and freeze until set.
• Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat the meringue powder, confectioners' sugar and water for 7-10 minutes or until thickened. Frost bears and rectangle; set aside to dry.
• Using a new, unused fine paintbrush or a toothpick, paint eyes, nose and scarf on each bear with food coloring. Paint "North Pole" on rectangle; attach to peppermint stick with icing. Let dry.
• Remove pie from freezer 15 minutes before serving. For icebergs, place one small and three large dollops of whipped topping on pie. Just before serving, insert bears into topping. Insert sign into ice cream. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Polar Bear Pie published in Country Woman January/February 2004, p19