High-rise scones to meet your lofty expectations

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

I wanted to make a scone that had both the gooey nature of a flat cookie with the substance and heartiness of a cake cookie without all the sugar but just as delightful.

These scones are superior to any pumpkin cookie I have eaten and using shaved chocolate instead of chocolate chips means that there are little bits of melted chocolate in every bite.

1 (8-ounce) bar your favorite chocolate bar, refrigerated
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg and allspice

With a serrated steak knife, shave the chocolate bar as you would peeling a potato; set aside in refrigerator.

Using an electric tabletop or hand-held mixer, beat melted butter and sugar until pale yellow. Add egg and vanilla, continuing to beat well. Add pumpkin and beat until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, blend flour with cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice and add to pumpkin mixture, beating very well and until smooth. The cookie dough should slightly pull away from the side of the bowl when beating

Fold in the shaved chocolate. Using an ice cream scoop of your choice to scoop out level measures of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet, or cookie pan.

Leave about an inch between mounds and you may need to use 2 pans. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

When ready, preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Try to place both cookie pans on top rack of oven. If you cannot, wait until one pan is cooked before cooking the next pan.

Bake 22-23 minutes, or until the underside of cookies are lightly browned and the middle of the cookies almost spring back completely when touched.

You don’t want them to completely cook through or they will be very dry and burn on the bottom.

Remove from oven to cool slightly before cooling on rack or platter.

Makes about 16 cookies, depending on the size of each scoop.