I’ll keep this post short and sweet, since we’re all still recovering from Thanksgiving overload. Every year, my brothers make huge leftover sandwiches at night and chase them down with martinis, and the next day, they make pumpkin waffles for breakfast. I just cannot. I have a limit.

So while everyone is still doing it up with turkey, I’m giving pumpkin her swan song of the season. These brownies are pretty special!

As I write this, my kids are bouncing off the walls. It happens on every holiday break. All the sudden lack of structure and routine makes them go hog wild. Anybody got any ideas for corralling a group of crazy kids?

Holiday breaks are never relaxing. The other day, I talked to someone who just wanted her Thanksgiving break to be relaxing. I was totally flummoxed by that. Since when are holidays meant to be chill? The whole idea is that we all need a vacation from break when it’s over!

It was a delicious Thanksgiving, though. The final dessert roll call: brown sugar pumpkin pie in a gingersnap crust, this chocolate raspberry marzipan tart, Dutch apple pie, pecan pie bars with this recipe as a base, and a gluten-free version of Kahlua cake. And that doesn’t count the main meal, which included my challah stuffing and red-skinned mashed potatoes. It was good, and now it’s gone.

Time to think forward to the holiday season, which is pretty short. In the next month, the idea of snow and scarves is still welcome. That won’t last forever, kids.

And these brownies didn’t last, either. They’re made on the stove top with melted chocolate and coffee. I added a little canned pumpkin to the batter along with some pumpkin spice latte-flavored M & Ms. It’s a coffee pumpkin taste explosion, my friends!

Okay, not gonna lie. I’m exhausted from the holiday endeavors, and I kind of need a vacation. Instead, I’ll just keep this post short. Enjoy the brownies and the family time!