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Special equipment: 1 (12 to 16 cup) glass trifle bowl or 12 to 16 individual small trifle bowls
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Whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form.
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Whip in the almond extract and confectioners'sugar until peaks form.
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Make sure not to over whip, the cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.
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When completely cool, use your hands to crumble the brownies into smaller pieces.
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In a glass trifle bowl, layer in the following order: crumbled brownies, about 1 1/2 cups pudding, 1 1/2 crumbled toffee bars, about 1 3/4 cups whipped cream.
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Repeat the layers in the same order.
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Save the last 2 toffee bars to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
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For individual small trifle bowls, layer in the following order: crumbled brownie, pudding, crushed chocolate covered toffee bars and whipped cream.
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Garnish with more crumbled toffee bars.
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Repeat with remaining ingredients.
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Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
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For your brownie batter, melt your butter in a medium (or large) heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.
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While the butter is melting, whisk your natural cocoa powder, sea salt and sugar in a separate bowl.
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(The sugar and salt will work as abrasive agents to get any lumps out of the cocoa.)
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Whisk the cocoa/sugar/salt combo into the melted butter.
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Continue to whisk the ingredients together in the bowl over the simmering water until the sugar has dissolved fully.
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The mixture should look like fudge and pull away from the bowl into a ball.
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Remove from the heat and set on a dishtowel on your counter, and allow the fudgy mixture to cool down until it's warm, but not hot anymore.
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While that is cooling, line the bottom and sides of your 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
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You want to leave about 4 inches of overhang on the 2 opposite sides.
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These serve as your handles to remove the brownies from the pan in 1 piece, so make sure that there is enough of the overhang for you to have a solid grip.
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Grease the parchment or foil well.
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Stir in the vanilla into the cooled fudge mixture to loosen it up.
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Add the eggs into the mixture 1 at a time, adding the second egg after the first egg is fully incorporated.
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The batter should look shiny and well blended.
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Add in your flour and stir it until it's fully incorporated.
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Once it looks fully blended, beat the batter vigorously for at least 45 strokes.
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This'll not only get out any pent up stress, but it will make the brownies chewy.
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Fold in your chocolate chips.
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Spread the very thick and fudgy brownie batter evenly in the lined pan with an offset spatula or your greased hands.
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Pop the brownies in the oven and bake until they get a nice crust and your house smells like brownies, 30 to 35 minutes.
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Let them cool completely on a rack or a dishtowel on your counter.
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Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder and flour in a bowl until there are no lumps.
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Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the yolks and whisk into a paste.
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Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk until fully incorporated.
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Then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk.
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Put the milk mixture into a saucepan and put over medium heat.
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Cook, whisking constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it starts to look like pudding.
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It will begin to bubble and it will hold soft peaks when you lift the whisk out.
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Take off the heat and cool to room temperature.
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Cook's Note: To prevent a skin from forming, cover the pudding with plastic wrap, pressing down directly on the surface of the pudding.
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Poke a few holes throughout to allow to cool to room temperature.
