By December 2040. Eldorado Prep won the championship again. David Okafor's third consecutive title, program's nineteenth overall. I watched from the stands and texted David after: nineteen. He texted back immediately: working on twenty. I texted: you're going to get it. He texted: we're going to get it. I thought about that for a while — the "we," the way he includes me in the count even now, two years after I stopped coaching. I don't entirely agree with the "we" — it belongs to him and the players and the staff. But I understand why he says it. It's generosity. It's the same generosity that all successors owe the people who built the thing they're extending.
Christmas was quieter this year. Sofia couldn't make it — first Christmas she's missed in a decade, held in Seattle by a competition schedule conflict. She called Christmas Eve and we talked for an hour. She's doing well at Washington, building something real with the program. Adrienne sends her love. They're talking about buying a house. They sound like us at thirty-five, the good parts — making plans, building toward something together.
Maya made sopapillas for Christmas dessert. I supervised but she did the work — the dough, the resting, the careful cutting, the watching while I handled the oil. She plated them herself, dusted powdered sugar over the top with a focus that bordered on theatrical, and presented them to the table with a composure that suggested she had been doing this for years. She is six years old. The table applauded. She accepted it without exaggeration, nodded once, and sat down to eat three of them.
Maya’s sopapillas were the undisputed centerpiece of Christmas dessert this year — she earned every bit of that applause — but I had quietly made a pan of these Graham Cracker Brownies earlier in the day, just in case. That’s a grandfather’s job: stay ready, stay humble, and have something chocolate nearby. These are the kind of brownies that don’t ask for a standing ovation; they just sit there and taste like exactly what a full, satisfied Christmas evening should feel like.
Graham Cracker Brownies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full sheets)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir in the cocoa powder, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt until a thick, uniform batter forms.
- Fold in chips. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a small handful to scatter over the top if desired.
- Bake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 22—26 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool & cut. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting into 16 squares. The graham cracker crumbs give them a slightly denser, chewier texture that firms up as they cool.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 175 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 105mg