Homemade dulce de leche
By rkhooks • Jun 3rd, 2007 • Category: Dulce de leche, Sweets
I ran out of dulce de leche this week. Being a bit of a lazy bones (I only made it to the gym once this week – I should be there as we speak) I thought I’ld have a go at making my own, instead schlepping a couple of jars across Paris.
After doing a bit of research on the net (what would I do without it) it seems like making the stuff is a doddle. Basically, you just stick a can of condensed milk in a pot of water and simmer gently for a good couple of hours, topping up the water level. A minimum of 2 hours for a light/runnier confiture or 4 hours for deeper caramel flavour like mine. I suggest making a couple of cans at the same time as it’s quite a lengthy procedure. The confiture de lait keeps a long time (not the case with me).
Stay tuned for more dulce de leche recipes…
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I never knew that is how you made it. I may have to try it now.
I’ve read about making your own dulce de leche by this method before, but have never tried it. Did you leave the cans sealed while boiling?
you mean just simmer the whole can of condensed milk?? mm thats cool
Tom – I punctured several holes into the can top as if you don’t keep the water level high enough, the pressure may build too much in the can and cause it to explode. It does take slightly longer if you have too many wholes in the can but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Swee – Yes, you boil a whole can of condensed milk. You could also try and make the more authentic recipe by boiling sugar and milk. Check out my homemade dulce de leche II recipe
I made home made dulce de leche with milk and sugar the recipe is on my blog, just in case.
If you make it with condensed milk,you must be very careful,when you open it.You must wait until it is cold. I made it once and I opened the can when it was still hot, with the pressure the dulce the leche jumped out and stuck on the kitchen’s ceiling. Funny, but dangerous.
Thanks, Sylvia for your tip. Man, cooking can be a dangerous hobby. Be careful
There’s no need to put holes in the can; just boil it in enough water to cover. The sweetened condensed milk has a much higher boiling point than water, because of all the sugar, so it doesn’t make steam in the can. I have done this many times. Sylvia’s quite right, though, you must let tyhe can cool down before opening it.
Great recipe! I just tried it out for the first time tonight, and the cupcakes turned out really nicely. My only problem was the frosting… I tried the homemade dulce de leche, but it wasn’t very viscous even though I had it on the stove for 2.5 hours! Any tips for next time? Different proportions? Or am I just being impatient…
Hi Julie,
The version in the can tends to be a little runny. I tend to mix it with some cream cheese when I use it for frosting. It makes it easier to spread on cakes and the cream cheese is super yummy with dulce de leche.