Y’all.
You’re not going to believe what I did. Or maybe you’ve already done it yourself, so it’s not that big of a deal to you. To me? Life changing.
I made sweet, caramel-y dulce de leche in my slow cooker. And I did it while I was asleep, with no worries of cans exploding. This is pretty much the most genius thing ever.
And, um, it’s only one ingredient.
Promise me that you’ll make this. I’m guessing that you already have sweetened condensed milk in the house and hoping you already have a few canning jars laying around. If not, head to the store and stock up, because I have a super fantastic recipe coming up later this week using 1 and 1/2 jars of dulce de leche and a cake mix. It’s pretty much out of this world ridiculously good.
Oh, and feel free to double this recipe (or halve it, but then you’ll end up with just 1 1/2 jars of dulce de leche instead of 3). The dulce de leche should last between 3 and 4 weeks in the fridge, but my guess is that you’ll eat it all before you get to that point, anyway.
Crockpot Dulce De Leche
Ingredients
- 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk 2 cans
- 3 1/2 pint canning jars
- Water
Instructions
- Empty the two cans of condensed milk into the canning jars and securely tighten the lids.
- Place in an empty slow cooker and cover with water. The water should rise at least 1 inch above the jars.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn to low heat for 10 hours (the longer you cook it, the darker it will get, so cook it to your preference).
- Remove from the water and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Nicole says
I have fat free sweetened condensed milk, do you think it will affect it at all? Has anyone used FF instead of the full fat? Results? Going to try this tonight and am super excited to spoon it over some homemade banana ice cream!!
Amy says
@Nicole,
As an experiment, I tried using 1 can of regular & 1 can of fat free. Hands down the regular won… the fat free was not even edible. Blech!
PS. I also tried one version mixing the two 1/2 & 1/2. The verdict? A: Too much of a hassle, and B: nowhere near as wonderful as using the regular.
Kruti says
I can’t wait to try this! Do you think this method would work with steel cut oats? Place oatmeal in mason jars to have ready for an on the go morning?
Sara says
life changing is right! pinning this now to try later 🙂
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I have always been so scared of blowing up my kitchen! But if you say it works, then I believe you. But if I do blow up my kitchen can i come stay with you? Just me, a husband 3 kids and 2 dogs. nbd.
elizabeth says
Oh my goodness, first time I have done this ‘question thingy’ and you answered my question ASAP. Thanx so much for your quick reply. I continue to be amazed over all that can be done with computer. love, e.
Lois says
Tried it last night and accidentally put my crockpot on high. Did not have the yummy caramel I was hoping for…ended up being very congealed and burnt tasting. Will be trying again tomorrow but on low this time! Thanks for showing this. I’ve been looking for Dulce De Leche everywhere and haven’t been able to find it. It’s nice to know I can make my own.
Karly says
@Lois,
Oh, darn it! Hope it works out tonight! You might even try it during the day so you can keep an eye on it. Some crockpots run hotter than others!
what katie's baking says
YUM! i’ve read about this, but somehow you doing it makes it look more real! lol
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I’ve wanted to do this forever. You totally sold me!
Joanne says
Those would be gone before anyone even realized what had happened. Until they found me in a sugar coma somewhere. Love.
elizabeth says
OK, so dummy me……jes wot do you put this on?
Karly says
@elizabeth,
You just use it in place of caramel sauce. It’d be great in brownies, cake filling, fruit dip, or just eat it with a spoon! It’s delish!
mrsblocko says
You don’t need to take the condensed milk out of the can if you don’t want to. I’ve done it both ways before. If you leave the condensed milk turned dulce de leche in the can it will have a longer shelf life, and you don’t need to keep in in the fridge. Of course, then it doesn’t eliminate the “leaching” issue.
What I usually do is put some condensed milk in a canning jar so I can see when the dulce de leche is to the desired color, and fill the remaining space in the crockpot with unopened cans of condensed milk. Then I’ve got a nice stash of DDL on hand at all times. You never know when you might have a DDL emergency!!!
PS I can’t wait for that recipe!!!!
Blog is the New Black says
I’m amazed!
Cookbook Queen says
Ah Mah Gah is this forreal? Like…you can make this while your sleeping? Like a magical caramel fairy? TOO COOL.
Karly says
@Cookbook Queen,
Yes. Like a magical caramel fairy.
Gawd, I love you. You always make me giggle.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
Ive seen recipes/preparation methods for literally just putting a can of sweetened cond milk into boiling water for about 3 hours and boiling it. I even emailed the woman and said are you sure?! And she said yes, it’s fine, it won’t explode or anything! I like your method better…seems a bit safer AND that you can SEE what’s going on inside the glass jars whereas the tin-can-in-water is a big mystery til you open it with a can opener.
Karly says
@Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga,
Lots of people do boil the cans with luck. You run into problems when you forget to keep an eye on the water level and it gets too low. Then…BAM. Dulce de Leche on your ceiling. Also, who knows what chemicals from the can are leeching into the milk. Blech.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
@Karly,
Agreed on all fronts, especially the leeching!
And this seems so much safer, the gentle cooking of a slow cooker vs. the vigorous boiling of a kettle on the stove…for a few hours.
I plan to try this!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl says
Oh my gosh, what have you just done to me!?! I do, in fact, have sweetened condensed milk in my panty and a long list of recipes calling for dulche de leche (in fact, I just made one yesterday, though I’m certain this homemade version is the way to go). I will be making this ASAP. My tastebuds thank you, but my jeans do not. =)