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How to Make Dulce de Leche
The best part about making this thick sweet caramel-like sauce, which actually means “sweet milk” in spanish, is that it only requires one ingredient. All you need is a singular can of sweetened condensed milk and you are good to go. A couple of hours on the stovetop and, voila, the delicious sauce is yours to use in a wide variety of desserts! My personal favorite thing to do is pour the dulce de leche into glass jars (as pictured above) and give them away as gifts. You can also use it to drizzle over ice-cream, into milkshakes or over cheesecake. The possibilities are endless, and each one is delicious.
Homemade Dulce de Leche
1 can sweetened condensed milk
. Puncture 2 small holes in the top of dulce de leche can and remove the label.
2. Place the can in a large saucepan and fill it with water that is 1 inch below the top of the can. This will essentially form a water bath.
3. Bring the water to a low simmer and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. Use tongs to remove the can once the time is up. Allow the can to cool, then open it with a can opener and decant the dulce de leche into a jar.
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11 Comments
[...] with sweetness. If you can’t find bottled dulce de leche, you can make your own – Kelsey shows you how here. You could swap sourdough or a good-quality raisin bread for the crusty loaf; and use any kind of [...]
Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding | The Family Kitchen commented on Nov 19 10 at 10:06 amLeslie commented on Oct 27 10 at 1:30 pmHey Kelsey – Living in Argentina where Dulce De Leche is not just a given, it is a full on staple to the normal diet – there is lots to with this great sauce. Here are a few:
1) Frozen Dessert – I mix dulce de leche with cream cheese and a bit of whipped cream. Portion into cups with crushed cookie bit and freeze. Individual desserts for days!2) Choco-torta – an Argentina dessert – this easy to make cake using layers of cookies dipped in your favorite liquor (I use rum cream) with layers of dulce de leche and cream cheese. Layer and put in the fridge overnight to set.
3) Garlic dulce de leche – sounds weird, but adding a little bit of garlic makes dulce de leche the perfect spread to add to any cheese platter.
katrina commented on Oct 27 10 at 8:19 pmI grew up with this (I’m part Uruguayan) and never made it until recently, relying on family members to bring jars home from trips back to the motherland. it’s really easy! I never puncture any holes in the can, because I turn it over halfway through. I’m sure it works both ways though. I recommend it on toast, between cornstarch cookies (look up a recipe for alfajores on the web) or with ice cream of course!
Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef commented on Oct 27 10 at 9:47 pm@Leslie, this is SOO awesome. I never quite realized how part of a normal diet it is in Argentina. I LOVE all of these great ideas. I might just give the garlic verion a try… @Katrina, thanks for the recipe ideas!
Melanie commented on Oct 29 10 at 1:19 amLast month, for my son’s birthday cake, I used dulce de leche as a filling in an apple cake – sort of like a toffee apple. Delicious!
Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef commented on Oct 29 10 at 8:16 amThat sounds delicious Melanie, thanks for the idea!
Leslie Girl commented on Oct 29 10 at 11:55 pmIn the South, we call this “Danger Puddin’ because it can explode. Ha!
Caitlin commented on Oct 30 10 at 11:58 ammmm… I’ve been in love with everything caramel lately. I’ve always been scared to make it, for the reason the previous commentator mentioned- I just get this image in my head of the can exploding and sticky dulce de leche EVERYWHERE.
Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef commented on Nov 01 10 at 2:03 pmDon’t worry Caitlin, that’s what the holes in the cans are for!
Erica commented on Nov 04 10 at 6:49 pmI had no idea it was that simple.
Casey commented on Oct 06 11 at 6:11 pmit says to puncture a hole in the dulce de leche can, do you mean the condensed milk can? I’m a little confused :p
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