Slow Cooker Condensed Milk Caramel (Dulce De Leche)

I wanted to make a lovely sticky centre to my cupcakes and remembered all the stories I had heard of boiling a tin of condensed milk for hours to create a gorgeous caramelly goop (technically called dulce de leche). 

Those were the stories where the tin did NOT literally explode and cover the kitchen and ceiling in sticky, almost impossible to remove caramelly goop.

I like the first story better.

But boiling a tin of condensed milk for hours and making sure it is covered with water sounds like of a lot of - potentially dangerous - work to me.  So I googled "condensed milk in slow cooker" and found this post  from www.queenbeecoupons.com which made me very happy.

Away we go!  The brand I bought (Carnation) seems to print their label straight onto the tin so you can't remove it anyway, but if yours is paper you had better pull it off first or your crockpot/slow cooker will never be the same.  I also am not able to fit a plate into my slow cooker to prevent rusting, but lucky for me, it didn't show any sign of staining or rusting at the end.

Method:

• Pop your tin of condensed milk into your slow cooker
• Fill the cooker with boiling water from your kettle until it is over the top of the tin.
• Put on the lid
• Set to cook on Low (I searched but couldn't find anyone on the web who had achieved good caramel on the high setting)
• Leave to simmer away, undisturbed, for 8 hours

No, definitely don't open the cooker lid, you can't see through tin anyway, you will have to trust me.

 

• If you have managed to wait then remove the tin from the water with a pair of tongs or similar. The tin WILL BE HOT.

• Leave for a short while just to cool a bit.
• Grab your tin opener and crack that baby open (but if it is still hot then keep a tea towel around it).

It will squeeze out at the first opportunity, so mind your hands if it's still hot!
 

 

Doesn't that look DIVINE?

 

• Let it plop into a bowl or similar (no, you may NOT lick the tin, it will cut you!)

It's quite thick and set when it comes out the tin.

 

• Give it a good mix to smooth it out, a whisk may be necessary.

 

• Enjoy it any way you like!

 

This caramel is super rich, sweet, smooth and sticky.  Perfect!

 

I am Tracey, and I love condensed milk caramel in a slow cooker.