Dulce De Leche Recipe

I was inspired, by a conversation on Cake Central yesterday, to share my recipe for Dulce De Leche.  You guys are in for treat!  This stuff is delicious!  It is really simple to make (honestly it doesn't GET simpler!).  My "Turtle Cake" recipe is a closely guarded secret, that I'm not sure if I will share... but I will tell you, Dulce De Leche is a key component.  (Turtle= chocolate, caramel, nuts... you'd be surprised how I often I get asked what that is... I thought is was a given, turtle, as in turtle candy?)

Anyway, as you may have guessed from my description above... Ducle de Leche is a caramel made from cooked milk as apposed to cooked sugar with or without cream added.  The sugars in the milk cook to create this yummy, yummy Dulce de Leche.  It translates to "milk candy" and you will see why... Just a warning, it will be hard to keep you fingers out of the bowl, so it is best to use it right away!

Ingredients

• 1 Can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Poke 2 or 3 holes in the top of the can to vent steam and remove the label
2. Place can in a deep pot and fill to about 1/4" from the top of the can with water
3. Turn on your stove :) and bring the water to a simmer or low boil
4. Simmer for about 3 hours, adding more water as necessary to keep the water at about 1/4" from the top of the can (water may splash up on top of the can, that's OK just ladle it off if you can, or worry about it at the end and dump it off when you remove the can)
5. After 3 hours, use tongs to remove the can from the water and set it on a towel to cool.
6. Once the can is cool enough to handle, open the can with a can opener and dump the contents into a bowl (you will see different thicknesses of the milk, much thicker and darker on the bottom, the top may look nearly uncooked- that's OK)
7. Add vanilla, stir to combine and you should have a nice smooth caramel!  Enjoy!!
8. For a thinner sauce simmer the can for about 2 1/2 hours, for a thicker more spreadable caramel, simmer the can for 3 1/2 hours.

See!  It really is simple, you just need to sit and wait!  I usually start it in the morning, when I put the coffee on :) and let it go while I go about my day!

Happy Caking :)