So I’d just served myself up a homemade brownie from my spiffy pre-cut brownie pan and had the taste for a little something to go with it. I was fresh out of the usual suspects, so I stood standing in the open door of the fridge, rooting around the shelves and harder-to-reach spots. Everything was pickled, or spicy, or both. Except for some wild blueberry syrup. And maple cream. And—ooo!—dad’s “Peach Sauce ‘No Minors.’”

His favorite thing to eat with the brandied peaches he and my step-mom made and canned themselves is Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and for good reason. The pairing of cool, sweet vanilla and warm, caramely, peaches is a knockout combination, one that makes me think of summer.

A scoop of vanilla ice cream would’ve, in fact, gone great with my brownies. But I didn’t have vanilla ice cream. I had brownies and spiked peach sauce. Why the heck not?

Tearing both away from their usual partner and putting them together turned out to be equally as fantastic and a great way to bring in the fall. Something about the deep, rich cocoa and throat-warming brandy made me glad to see the hot days go and the cool evenings arrive.

It also made me wonder whether anyone else had ever put the two together before. I found a few recipes, white chocolate seems to be a more common peach pairing. I did find a couple of peach-and-chocolate goodies—check out this recipe from Lindt for caramelized peaches with chocolate ice cream and fleur de sal or this chocolate bar with peach and hibiscus.

Better yet, find yourself a jar of peach preserves, and next time you bake a pan of brownies, pour some on top. It might just be my new favorite fall dessert—maybe next time, I’ll bake them right in.