I love a freshly made scone with a nice cup of coffee or tea around the holiday season. These pumpkin chocolate chip scones are tasty and festive. Studded with bites of chocolate, they are the perfect way to get your day started.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (can easily substitute dark chocolate)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Mix together with a fork.
3. Add the cubed butter into the flour mixture and, using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is slightly broken down into the size of small pebbles.
4. Add the pumpkin, heavy cream and egg to the dry mixture and combine together with a fork. When it's almost completely incorporated, add the 2/3 cups of chocolate chips and combine, being careful not to overmix. The batter should just hold together.
5. Using a 1/2-cup scoop, form mounds out of the dough. Place the mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes before baking.
6. Place the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes.
7. Remove the baking sheet and let the scones cool before serving.