Yogurt Almond Granola Clusters

Ingredients

for the granola:

1 lb. quick cooking oats (about 5 1/4 c.)

1 c. old fashioned oats

2 c. whole roasted almonds or salted candied almonds, very coarsely chopped (some whole nuts are fine)

1 stick unsalted butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/3 c. water

3/4 t. salt

1 T. vanilla extract

for the yogurt glaze:

1 T. water

1 t. almond extract

1/2 t. gelatin

1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt

1 T. honey

pinch of salt

2 c. powdered sugar

Preparation

Make the granola: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees f. Place 2 1/2 c. of the quick oats into a food processor. Process until the mixture is basically powdered, about 30 seconds. In a large bowl add the remaining quick oats, the processed oats, the old fashioned oats, and the nuts, toss to combine.

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, water and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is completely melted. Add the vanilla, stir to combine. Pour over the oats and mix thoroughly. Spread the granola evenly out onto a baking sheet, press down and compact into a solid layer. Bake for 25 minutes. Stir the granola gently, trying to preserve very large chunks. Add back to the oven and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until crisped and golden brown, about another hour total. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely before adding the almond-yogurt glaze.

For the glaze: In a small ramekin, combine the water and almond extract, sprinkle with the gelatin, stir to combine. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, honey and salt. Microwave in 5 second increments, stirring well after each 5 seconds, until the yogurt mixture is very warm, about 30 seconds total (be sure not to let the yogurt come to a boil, or it will curdle). Add the gelatin mixture to the yogurt mixture, whisk well to combine. Add the powdered sugar to a large bowl and pour the yogurt-gelatin mixture over top. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the cooled granola with half the glaze. Let the glaze harden to the touch, about an hour. Once the glaze is completely set, stir gently to redistribute, drizzle with the remaining glaze. Let the glaze set before serving.