Homemade Dulce de Leche Recipe - Tips & Tricks | Club Foody

 

One of the most beloved items in baking, besides chocolate 🍫, is probably caramel! Its rich, buttery, and sweet profile elevates any sweet treat. It can be used as a condiment, filling, topping, or an ingredient to enhance flavor.
 
Although they sound the same, caramel, butterscotch, and dulce de leche are slightly different. It all comes down to the base ingredients and the cooking methods, resulting in each of them having its own distinct flavor profile. Let’s have a look 👀…
 
– Caramel is basically heating sugar until it melts and turns brown. Often, water 💦 is added at the beginning of cooking, while heavy cream or butter is incorporated after the sugar is caramelized to stop the cooking. The result gives a sharp, toasty flavor with a syrupy consistency.
– Dulce de Leche is created by slowly simmering milk 🥛 and sugar together for 2 to 3 hours, with a touch of baking soda. The other method is by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk. In the end, both methods yield a thick, creamy, and spreadable texture with a gorgeous, rich, and nutty flavor.
– Butterscotch uses butter 🧈 and dark brown sugar at the beginning of cooking and finishes with heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a tiny amount of salt. The final product results in a sweet and rich flavor.
 
My grandmother 👵 was making her “thick” caramel, as she liked to describe it, not knowing she was making dulce de leche. My mother called it the same, and I ended up making the same mistake until one of my South American friends finally corrected me and explained the differences.
 
Valeria was telling me that when her mother was making it “literally” from scratch, using milk, sugar, baking soda, and a little vanilla extract. It takes a while, and there’s a lot of stirring 🥄 involved. As much of a foody as I am, I never tried it or intend to do so – yes, I can be lazy once in a while!
 
The only way I’ve made my Homemade Dulce de Leche is by using a can of sweetened condensed milk and letting it simmer on medium heat for a few hours ⏰. This is certainly the easiest method unless you can find it pre-made in the Latin section of your supermarket.
 
When using the boiling method, make sure there are no dents on the can and also use a fully sealable one. The can with the pull-top might pop-op open under the pressure from the heat 🔥. I used it in the past and nothing bad happened, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
 
Making Homemade Dulce de Leche is pretty easy as long as the can is completely submerged. Bring a large pot of water 💧 to a boil, place the can sideways so it rolls during the process, cooking the mixture evenly. Then, reduce to medium heat, and cook for 2 to 3 hours.
 
What makes the difference between 2 and 3 hours (and more) of cooking 🤔? The color, thickness, and flavor complexity.
– Close to 2 hours, the dulce will be lightly caramelized and more pourable, similar to a thick syrup.
– At the 3-hour mark, the caramel will be much darker, almost like mahogany, thicker, and have a more complex and caramelized flavor.
 
There’s no right or wrong, as it all depends on its application. If you’re looking to drizzle the caramel over ice cream 🍨 or use it as a dip for fruits, a 2-hour cook time is plenty. However, the 3-hour+ time is often used for fillings like Dulce de Leche Cupcakes, Alfajores (sandwich cookies), Skor Banoffee Pie, or Tres Leches Cake.
 
As I mentioned earlier, to achieve perfect caramelization, it is essential to ensure the can is submerged at all times. What I like to do is to boil water in my tea kettle and pour some into the pot as needed. That way, the water stays constantly hot.
 
When time is up, simply (and carefully) remove the can from the simmering water and allow it to cool completely before handling it. If you’ll be using the whole can for a dessert, let me tell you that it will be the most challenging time by resisting the temptation of getting a spoonful of that deliciousness!
 
Making Homemade Dulce de Leche is superior to store-bought. It offers a richer, creamier texture with a more intense caramel flavor. Another reason for making it at home is that it costs less 🏧 than the pre-made ones, plus you can decide which level of thickness you want your caramel…
Bon Appétit! 🍽
 
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and for more handy kitchen tips and tricks 💡, click on this link… Recipe Category • Tips & Tricks
 
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