How to Make Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche
My translation, caramelized heavenly milk
Actual translation, candy made from milk
Universal translation, damn that's good!

For those of you who are new to dulce de leche, it is probably easiest to think of it as sweetened caramelized milk. It is made by reducing milk and sugar over low heat. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours to make, but like homemade caramel, it's worth the work.

The exact origins of this sweet treat are a debate. Most believe that dulce de leche originated in Argentina. However, this is a continuous point and many Latin American countries claim to create this luscious sauce. Me, I say I don't care who created it. I am just glad they did. So on behalf of American dulce de leche lovers, thank you, whoever you are (or were).

As much as I love it, I am embarrassed to admit that I did not discover it until 2012. To be fair, I have been narrow in my dessert options until the last decade. However, I was getting married that summer and we wanted to offer two different types of desserts. We were eating at one of my favorite Denver restaurants, Tony P's, and that is where I was introduced to dulce de leche. Tony's cake introduced me to a whole new world of flavor. (Thank you, Tony!)

Jump to:

• Common Types of Caramels
• Uses
• Instructions
• Recipe

Common Types of Caramels

They are all very smilier and yet still very different. It took me some time before I could tell the difference between the three. Here is how I think of the differences...

Dulce de leche is made from slowly cooking milk and sugar together at a low temperature. The caramel color comes from the browning of the milk. Some recipes, including mine, use baking soda. By adding baking soda the cooking process is sped up (but note it still takes a long time to make).

Caramel is made from cooking granulated sugar at a high temperature. As the sugar melts, it caramelizes. To achieve caramelization, the temperature must reach between 240 - 245 degrees.

Butterscotch is made from cooking brown sugar with butter, also at a high temperature. Butterscotch has a sweeter flavor than caramel. It is also softer than caramel.

The easiest way to think of it...

• Dulce de Leche = Milk +Sugar
• Caramel = Sugar
• Butterscotch = Brown Sugar + Butter
  
  

Uses

I use dulce de leche where caramel is often used. In fact, I created this batch to use in a coffee cake recipe I am developing. There is enough leftover that I will also be using to make cinnamon rolls. Aka, there will be lots of dulce de leche recipes coming your way! Here are a few other places I think you will enjoy it.

Instructions

There are two common ways to make it. One is the traditional Argentinian way and the other is using condensed milk. For this recipe, I am going to focus on the traditional Argentinian way. It is a slow process, but to be honest, I like the slow process. While the milk is caramelizing there is time to do other things in the kitchen. Just make sure you stay close towards the end so that you can stir the milk often.

Recipe