I cheated on these a little bit.

But Betty Crocker knows how to do things right, so I trusted her to help me.

I borrowed the second part of this recipe from How Sweet It Is (again).

Pumpkin Layer
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a bowl, whisk together sugars and egg until smooth. Add in pumpkin and spice, again mixing until combine. Finish by adding in heavy cream, stirring until everything is mixed, then pour on top of the cooled brownie layer and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes (9×13 dish) or 15 minutes (8×8 dish), then reduce heat to 325° F and bake for 18–20 minutes (9×13 dish)/22–25 minutes (8x8dish) or until pumpkin layer is set. Let cool completely (ideally overnight, or about 3–4 hours) then slice and serve.

While I waited for everything to cool, I admired our first Christmas tree together. We have a blue/bronze/brown motif going on with our ornaments. I think it’s pretty special.

Since I was already feeling sentimental, I decided to make these brownies a sweet(er) special treat for Jason and me.

We opened a bottle of dessert wine that we bought while traveling around New England in September 2010 — Roughshod from Blacksmiths Winery in Casco, Maine.

Delicious! I will definitely make these brownies again next fall, but we’ll just have to go back to New England to get another bottle of Roughshod…