Heavenly Mocha Pudding Bars With Almond Cookie Crust

For the almond cookie crust layer:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a food processor or large bowl add almonds, flour and powdered sugar. Pulse or mix until well blended. Add butter to food processor and pulse until you have pea-sized chunks. Otherwise use a pastry cutter and cut butter in until you have small pea-sized pieces.

Place crust mixture into an ungreased 9×13 pan. Press crust mixture evenly into the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

For the cream cheese layer:

Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Add water and gelatin to the bowl. Allow to cook until gelatin becomes clear and runny. Then remove from heat.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Drizzle in gelatin mixture while beating on medium-high until whipped cream resembles clouds. Be careful not to over beat or it will create butter. Remove whipped cream mixture to a separate bowl and refrigerate while beating cream cheese.

In the same mixing bowl that you used for the whipped cream mixture, add cream cheese and beat with whisk attachment until light and fluffy on medium-high speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1/2 cup of the whipped cream mixture and beat over low until almost combined. Scrape the sides of bowl between additions. Repeat with remaining whipped cream 1 cup at a time until all of it is incorporated and fully combined.

Spread cream cheese mixture over the top of the cooled almond cookie crust. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

For the mocha pudding layer:

Over medium heat, mix sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt into a large saucepan. Heat and stir until lump free. Slowly drizzle in coffee and milk while stirring continuously. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir around edges well. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks in a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Take 1/2 cup of the hot mocha mixture and whisk continually while adding it to the egg yolks. Continue to add more of the mocha mixture until a total of 2 cups has been added. Then add egg mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat stirring continually until mixture starts to bubble. This will take about 2 minutes. Then remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter, stir until fully combined.

Allow mocha pudding to cool for 15 minutes, stirring as needed to help cool and prevent a skin from forming over the top.

Spread mocha pudding over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.