Homemade dulce de leche (caramel): use condensed milk for a quick and easy recipe!
Dulce de leche (DdL) is a sweet cream made with milk and sugar and is a sort of "milk jam", since the process for making it is similar to that used for making fruit jams. Originating in Argentina and widespread in Latin America, DdL's taste is similar to toffee. There are various versions in South American countries and the original Argentine recipe has 3 possible preparation methods: the most common is the "creole" method; a denser version is called "pasticcera"; and a diet version - with less sugar - is called "light".
The preparation of DdL is an easy but a very long process. In South America, it is marketed according to strict rules which regulate its quality and characteristics. So how can we prepare DdL at home? If the classic method with milk and sugar seems too difficult for you, you can easily make this product starting from using condensed milk.
Azure MacCannel, a famous TikTokker known as @livecomposed, teaches us a simple recipe for making DdL at home. To make it, just get yourself a can of condensed milk. Remove the paper label and place the tin - still sealed - in a pot of water (submerging the can) and boil over low heat for 2-3 hours.
Once done, remove the tin from the pot with kitchen tongs and let it cool down for a few hours. Important: do not open the can before it is completely cool if you want to avoid any nasty surprises! At this point your DdL is ready to be enjoyed on its own or as an accompaniment for your desserts! If, on the other hand, you do not intend to consume it immediately, the cream thus obtained (aka caramel) can be kept in the sealed can at room temperature for about 3 months. Once opened, the cream should be kept in a refrigerator and consumed within 3 weeks.
Watch the video to see the whole process. To speed up cooking times, you can use a pressure cooker: the procedure is the same, but the cooking over low heat will take only 30/40 minutes. Turn off the heat, wait another 15 minutes before venting the pressure cooker and removing the can.
If, on the other hand, you prefer to use the oven, you can make this recipe by transferring the condensed milk into a Pyrex glass baking dish. Cover the pan with foil, making sure it fits tightly so that it does not rise during the cooking. Put the baking dish in a larger one that is filled with water, then bake at 220 degrees for 90 minutes. At the end of cooking time, remove the aluminum foil and stir with a spatula to break up any solid pieces and mix them in. In this case, if you don't want to use your DdL right away, you can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
Are you ready to give this a try?
