Divas on a Dime: Dulce de leche

By Patti Diamond

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Magic: One Ingredient Dulce de Leche Delight.

Step into the magical world of dulce de leche, a sweet and velvety caramel delight with roots deep in Latin American culinary traditions. Dulce de leche is a luscious, milk-based, caramel-like sauce that can be used to top ice cream, swirled into cheesecake, used in baking, spooned over fruit, to frost cakes or just devoured with a spoon right out of the jar. Is there a better foodie gift for the holidays? I think not.

The best part? This couldn't be easier. You only need one ingredient! Simply simmer canned sweetened condensed milk. Poof! Like magic, the sugar caramelizes and creates dulce de leche.

There are several ways to make dulce de leche. The only requirements are heat and time. Here are the techniques for making dulce de leche using your instant pot, slow cooker, stovetop and oven.

Each recipe below uses two (14-ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk. You decide if you want to cook it right in the can or transfer it to half-pint canning jars with lids and rings.

To cook in the can: Do not open the cans. Remove the labels from the cans of sweetened condensed milk. Inspect the can to ensure it doesn't have any dents.

The hardest part is getting the glue off the cans. By the way, a paste of vegetable oil and baking soda works beautifully.

To cook in canning jars: Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the canning jars, dividing the two cans evenly between three half-pint jars, filling to the top. Place the lids and rings on the jars.

Dulce de leche is a simple luscious, milk-based sauce perfect for the holidays. PHOTO CREDIT: www.JasonCoblentz.com

Instant Pot DULCE DE LECHE

Yield: 3 cups

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Cooling Time: 2 hours

Place a trivet or a steamer basket in the bottom of your instant pot. Put the cans or jars on the trivet or basket. Add water to the pot up to the maximum fill line.

Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 35 minutes. Once the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally. Allow the cans to cool down completely in the water before removing and opening, which may take a few hours.

SLOW COOKER DULCE DE LECHE

Yield: 3 cups

Time: 8 hours

Place the cans or jars in the slow cooker and add water so the jars are covered by an inch. Put the lid on the slow cooker and turn to LOW for 8 hours. When the time is up, turn off the slow cooker, let cool and carefully remove the jars. Allow the jars to cool before you open them.

Since this isn't a canning process, the lids won't seal, meaning it's not shelf stable. This should keep for about four weeks in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long. I'll never know.

STOVETOP DULCE DE LECHE

Yield: 3 cups

Time: 2 to 3 hours

Place the cans or jars in a deep saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a gentle boil and simmer for 2-3 hours, making sure the cans or jars are always submerged.

OVEN DULCE DE LECHE

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Pour the condensed milk into a shallow, oven-safe dish and cover tightly with foil. Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the outer pan with water to create a water bath. Bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until it reaches the desired caramel color.

Spread holiday cheer with the magic of homemade dulce de leche. Perfect for gifting, this one-ingredient wonder brings sweet joy to every celebration. Frugally fabulous wishes to all!

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Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime -- Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com

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