make the granola

1. Preheat your oven to 300 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop the unsalted almonds (1/2 cup).
   
3. Add the chopped almonds and old-fashioned or rolled oats (1/2 cup) to a small bowl.
4. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add the maple syrup (2 Tablespoons), vanilla extract (1/4 teaspoon), and kosher salt (1/8 teaspoon) and stir until combined, then pour over the nuts and oats.
5. Stir until the oats and almonds are evenly coated with the maple syrup mixture, then spread into an even layer on the prepared baking tray.
6. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. While the granola is cooling, you can begin melting the chocolate-flavored almond bark – see the next section.
7. Once cooled and hardened, break up into small pieces. Set aside until ready to top the bark.

melt the chocolate-flavored almond bark

1. Fill a small-medium sauce pan with about an inch of water and set it on a burner over medium heat until it reaches a simmer – not a full boil.
2. Settle a heat-proof bowl into the top of the sauce pan. It should fit snugly so that there’s no steam escaping and shouldn’t need to be held in place. Make sure the simmering water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
3. Add the chocolate-flavored almond bark (24 ounces) to the bowl and let the heat from the steam on the underside of the bowl gently melt the chocolate.
4. Occasionally stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula (don’t use a wooden spatula as it may contain moisture, which would cause the chocolate to seize) until melted and smooth.
5. Remove from the heat using oven mitts if necessary. Be very careful to avoid letting the steam touch your skin as it will be hot and could burn you.

assemble the strawberry chocolate bark

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Pour the melted chocolate-flavored almond bark over the prepared baking tray and spread it into an even, thin layer using the back of a rubber spatula.
3. Place the freeze-dried strawberries (2 cups) evenly over the top of the melted almond bark, gently pressing them into the chocolate if needed.
4. Sprinkle the cooled granola over the strawberries.
5. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips (1/4 cup) in 15-second increments, stirring between heatings until it is smooth and melted.
6. Drizzle the white chocolate over the chocolate bark using a fork or spatula.
7. Allow to harden and cool completely, then break into your preferred-sized pieces.