Description
This recipe creates rich and creamy Sweetened Condensed Milk Caramel, also known as Dulce de Leche, by slowly cooking canned sweetened condensed milk. The slow cooking process transforms the milk’s sugars into a deep golden caramel, perfect for drizzling over desserts, spreading on toast, or using in baking. The recipe provides two methods: slow cooking in a slow cooker for a gentle, hands-off approach and stovetop simmering for a quicker alternative.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (395g / 14 oz each)
Instructions
- Prepare cans for cooking: Place the unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk on their side inside a slow cooker. There is no need to remove the labels as they will be submerged in water.
- Cover with water: Fill the slow cooker with hot tap water until it reaches about 5 cm (2 inches) above the cans, ensuring they are fully submerged for even cooking.
- Slow cook the cans: Set the slow cooker to low and cook the cans for 8 hours. This slow cooking process caramelizes the sugars gradually, creating a smooth dulce de leche.
- Optional longer cooking for darker caramel: For a deeper golden brown caramel, continue slow cooking for an additional 2 hours, making a total of 10 hours.
- Carefully remove cans: Using tongs, carefully lift the hot cans out of the slow cooker. Do not attempt to open the cans while they are hot as the contents may burst out violently.
- Cool the cans safely: Submerge the hot cans in cold water for about 10 minutes to cool them quickly and safely before opening.
- Open and use: Once cooled, open the cans and transfer the caramel into jars or airtight containers, especially if not using immediately, to preserve freshness.
- Alternative stovetop method: Place unopened cans in a large pot and cover with water at least 5 cm (2 inches) above the cans. Bring water just to a boil over a small burner and then reduce heat to medium-low or low to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Simmer on stove: Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours to achieve a smooth caramel consistency similar to the slow cooker method. For a darker, thicker dulce de leche, simmer for 3 hours.
- Cool and open cans (stovetop): Remove cans carefully from the pot and allow them to cool before opening to avoid splattering. You may speed up cooling by placing cans in cold water for about 10 minutes.
Notes
- Do not open cans while hot to prevent dangerous splattering of hot caramel.
- Ensure cans are always fully submerged in water during cooking to avoid pressure buildup and risk of explosion.
- You can adjust cooking times depending on your desired caramel color and thickness.
- Transfer caramel to airtight containers for storage if not using immediately to keep it fresh and prevent contamination.
- Using a slow cooker is a hands-off, safer method, while the stovetop method requires attentive monitoring.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 hours (slow cooker) or 2-3 hours (stovetop)
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Latin American
Keywords: dulce de leche, caramel sauce, sweetened condensed milk caramel, slow cooker dessert, homemade caramel, Latin American caramel
