• Cooking Time: 15
• Servings: 8
• Preparation Time: 45
• The goods:
• 1 1/2 C All purpose flour
• 1/2 C Cake flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t allspice
• 1/4 t ginger
• 6 T butter
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 1/3 C buttermilk
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 1 t vanilla

1. The deal:
3. Preheat oven to 375°
5. Cut the butter into small pieces and chill out in freezer.
7. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and chill in freezer with the butter. You want the cheese to be slightly frozen.
9. Mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk, syrup and vanilla until well blended and then also chill out in freezer. Of course as I am quickly learning, you could also just put it out onto your 32° window ledge if you happen to live in Chicago by the LAKE...
11. Now, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
13. Retrieve the butter and blend it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingers. This mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
15. Now do the same with the cream cheese, only less vigorously. You want to see the cream cheese chunks. Do not pulverize them.
17. Okay, add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Remember. Want to see chunks of cheese... Cheese good.
19. Dump this mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, knead a few times to form a flat circle about 1.5" thick and 7"- 8" round. (I tried saying "form a disc" but I kept typing in dick dick dick and I am TRYING, to almost no avail, to keep this site family friendly... god dammit...)
21. Now cut this circle into 8 pie slices and place on a cookie sheet and put that cookie sheet on top of another sheet so that the bottoms of the scones do not burn and slide it all into your oven...
23. Bake at 375° for approx 15 minutes.
25. Remove from oven and let cool. (As opposed to leaving in the oven to cool which, yea, doesn't work...)
28. The Chocolate Crack Glaze
30. While the scones are cooling pour 4 oz chocolate chips into a glass bowl. Heat 1/2 c of heavy whipping cream to a boil. Pour cream over the chocolate and slowly stir until blended. Add one T of butter and stir till smooth. Drizzle over scones.
32. Lick spoon.
34. Lick bowl.
36. Fall into sugar coma.
38. Bribe your friends and family into doing anything you want with the mere promise of one of these amazing scones.

Back in the Midwest for the first time in 9 years, I am celebrating fall to the fullest. And that means lots and lots of pumpkin!