Dulce de Leche

 Homemade Dulce de Leche. The easiest thing I have ever made.

I have been know to have a few minor mishaps in my kitchen. Remember the baking soda spill over from the pretzels? So, I was a little fearful of trying making Dulce de Leche but I figured I should learn from my mistakes and since my last life threatening encounter, namely exploding a glass dish in the oven, I have learned the physics of heat shock and pressure sensitivity so I had nothing to worry about. : )

Ingredient:

(Yes, that is "ingredient" - singular)

1. One can of sweetened condensed milk.

Recipe:

1. Peel label off can.

2. Place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk into a large pot of water. Make sure water level always covers the can! This is VERY important. If the can is not fully submerged in water the pressure can cause it to explode. Ahhh!!!  

(( but if you have good friends like I do... you might be able to find someone that would be willing to lick it off your entire kitchen in the event that you get Dulce de Leche everywhere! - hahaha, Matt, you're a sweetie ..Who can blame him.. Dulce de Leche is delicious! .)) 

3. Let simmer for 3 hours. Check every 30-45 minutes to make sure water levels are still good.

Hint: The longer you let the sauce simmer the thicker it will be. Remember: you can always add some milk to make it a little thinner but you cannot make it thicker once it has been opened. So better to cook it longer. 

4. Cool completely before opening.  You can store Dulce de Leche in an air tight container in the fridge. Or use it right away to make Dulce de Leche cups!!

Uses for Dulce de Leche:

Dulce de Leche & peanut butter cups

Dulce de Leche brownies

Drizzle over ice cream, pancakes or crepes

Dulce de Leche cheese cake

Dip for fruit (apples and bananas would be good)

You can read about Dolce de Leche at wikipedia.