Dulce De Leche

by faludi

148K169121

Intro: Dulce De Leche


Dulce de leche is a delicious caramel-like candy made from milk and sugar that's popular in many South American countries. It's called confiture de lait in French, and doce de leite in Portuguese, No matter what your language, this is a tasty treat to spread on toast, layer into pies and ice cream, or eat straight, one spoonful at at time.

Flavor heaven is as easy as cooking a can! The following instructions will teach you how to make your own.

Please note that there's a small possibility of explosion when you cook a can. This risk can be greatly reduced by making sure that the can is covered with water at all times.

STEP 1: Ingredients


You'll need:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

That's it. Don't use evaporated milk, it's totally different. Has to be sweetened & condensed.

STEP 2: Remove Label


Peel the paper label off the can.

STEP 3: Admire Can


The can is so shiny, so silver, so not like anything else you have ever cooked.

STEP 4: Fill Pot With Water


Fill a large pot with water.

STEP 5: Place Can in Pot


Put the can into the pot of water. The water should totally cover the can at all times.

STEP 6: Boil Water


Bring the water to a nice rolling boil.

STEP 7: Simmer 4 Hours


Cover and simmer over low heat for 4 hours. The can should always be covered with water, so add more as needed.

If you like your dulce de leche a little runny then maybe 3 hours will do the trick.

STEP 8: Remove Can


After 4 hours of boiling a can, it gets blazing hot. Use tongs to remove the can from the water, and place on a rack to cool completely.

Note that that can may bulge because it is under pressure. Do not open the can while it is still hot.

STEP 9: Open Cooled Can


When the can is totally cooled off, it's finally time to open it. It may take an hour or more for the can to cool down, but the wait is worth it.

STEP 10: Eat and Enjoy!


Everyone loves dulce de leche! Eat it with a spoon or try with vanilla ice cream.

It's good to cook a can!

120 Comments

men lahak 10 years ago

so great and easy to make, i am from mexico and this "dulce de leche" we call it "cajeta" and is Goat Milk prepared in cupper frying pan, if you prefer you can try with a mexican product "La Lechera"

SamanthaS48 8 years ago

I was wondering if LA Lechera would work.

cwbrown379 9 years ago

I made two cans the other day, but using the crockpot. Made sure the cans were covered put the lid on the crockpot, and cooked it for 11 hours over night. Turned off the crckpot, and let the cans cool in the crockpot with the lids off for a while and then on a cooling rack until room temperature, and into the fridge. I'm so addicted!

michele.wojcicki 9 years ago

A small can was ready in just over 2.5 hrs. I needed to use it so I cooled it down by putting the pot (containing the hot water and the can) in the sink and running cold water into it ... and left it there, with a moderate trickle of water running, for about 10 minutes.

dhardy13 9 years ago

can i make this inadvance or dose it need to be used strate away?

CraftyZA 9 years ago

You can make it and store it for long. As long as you dont open the can. Once opened consume within a few days. It goes very sticky and thick if you let it stand for too long when opened. Still tasty, but more toffee texture.

gracels 9 years ago

mi mamita made it just like this in Argentina 70 years ago, and her mother before her. So, yes, I think this method is an Argentine invention. I'm making it right now.

contessa10 10 years ago

I've made dulce de leche dozens of times using this same method, with one small difference. I usually start this process about 3 hours before bedtime. Then I shut the heat off as I go to bed. By the time I get up in the morning, the pan, water and can are all completely cooled. And I have dulce de leche all ready and waiting to spread on my toast!

ClayOgre 11 years ago

I usually lay the can on its side. You can also save a buncha time making it in a pressure cooker (and no, it won't explode), plus you don't have to monitor the water level like you do just boiling it. I did some for 45 minutes in a pressure cooker and it came out pretty thick. Next time, I think I will go for perhaps 35 or 40 minutes and see what happens.

tudgeanator 11 years ago

My parents taught me to do this to use it in banoffee pie - it's delicious! Never thought about putting it on toast or anything else though... Cheers

rataman77 15 years ago

invented on argentina ARGENTINA RULES! :P

emkayach 12 years ago

Has anyone tried to start the boil on a stove top then transfer the can of milk to an already hot slow cooking crock?

BobMarleyFan 12 years ago

my grandmother used to make this for me and my sister and we would put it on toast, I loved it!

deqwer 12 years ago

cool,it's simple to make and very tasty

tool box 12 years ago

I live in Argentina if you go, there are a lot of dulce de leche in the shops
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