WHITE CHIP ISLAND BLONDIES

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." ~Walt Disney

Last week I made some white chip island blondies that turned out to be pretty tasty. Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup plus 2T flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8 or 9 inch square baking pan.
COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, nuts and coconut. Press into pan.
BAKE for 20-25 min. or until golden brown. Cool in pan. Cut into bars, makes 16.
ENJOY! I'm also going to try these bars with semi-sweet chocolate chips or even mini M and M's.

VALENTINE'S READING

Last night, as I was making some cupcakes to bring to my family, I thought of one of my favorite
picture books, "Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch," by Eileen Spinelli. In this sweet story, Mr. Hatch was a lonely man who kept to himself until one Valentine's Day when the mailman brought a giant box of chocolates with a note that stated, "somebody loves you." Mr. Hatch is thrilled that someone cares about him and this act of kindness transforms Mr. Hatch into a much happier person and one who wants to help other people. I won't ruin the end of the story, but this is one that teaches a great lesson about service and how one small act of kindness can really brighten someone else's day.