Maple Pecan Ginger Oat Flour Scones

For the Scones

• 2 c rolled oats
• 0.5-0.75 c nut butter, or more as needed
• 0.5 c maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.5 c roasted/salted pecans
• 12 cubes of crystallized ginger

For the Icing

• 0.5 c powdered sugar, or more as needed
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Tiny dash of water or bourbon
• Handful of finely chopped pecans for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Add the oats to a food processor and grind them for a minute or so until you have a coarse but even flour.
3. To the food processor, add 0.5 c nut butter as well as the maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Process until you have a homogeneous dough.
4. IMPORTANT: Check your dough! Nut/seed butters have very different textures and oil contents, so your dough will vary based on what fat you add. You want to achieve a dough that sticks together well. Take out a spoonful and try to shape it into a ball; if it won't stick or if your ball cracks, you don't have enough fat. Add a few more tbsp of nut butter and reprocess, then repeat as needed. I found that I needed 0.75 c of peanut butter to make this work, but each nut butter will be different.
5. Only once you're sure your dough will stick together, add in the pecans and ginger. Pulse the food processor a few times to break up the nuts and ginger and to bring the dough together.
6. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and form it into a disk about an inch thick. Press it together very firmly, especially around the edges, making sure there are no cracks.
7. Cut the dough into 12 even wedges.
8. Carefully transfer the scones to a baking sheet. Bake for ~25 minutes until just barely starting to brown along the edges. Cool them on a rack completely.
9. Once the scones have cooled, mix the icing. You want to achieve a smooth, thick icing that can be drizzled or spread without running off the scone. Start with 0.5 c powdered sugar and 2 tbsp of maple syrup and assess. If it's too dry, add the tiniest amount of liquid (bourbon is amazing here, it's a match made in heaven with the pecans). If it's too wet, add a dash more of sugar. Keep adjusting until you have a rich, velvety icing.
10. Spread or drizzle the icing on top of the scones as you desire. A little drizzle will make them less sugary, a full covering makes them super delicious. If you want to sprinkle some additional pecans on top, do it while the icing is still soft.
11. Let the scones sit out until the icing has hardened completely. Don't try to pack them up with wet icing or they'll be a mess! This will take a few hours.
12. Store the finished scones in a tightly-sealed container. These also freeze really nicely, as long as they're tightly sealed, so don't be afraid to make them in advance and freeze them until needed.