Homemade Dulce de Leche (Stovetop Method)

Why you’ll love it

• 4 ingredients: milk, sugar, vanilla and baking soda.
• No preservatives: just real milk and sugar.
• Endless uses: alfajores, crepes, cakes or straight from the spoon.

Quick facts

Ingredients

• 2 quarts (2 liters) whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups (500 g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the milk. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the milk, sugar and vanilla bean. Heat over medium, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the baking soda. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat and add the baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp water. It will foam up: stir until it settles.

3. Simmer slowly. Keep at a gentle simmer, stirring now and then with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom, for about 1 1/2 hours. The milk will reduce and start to color.

4. Stir constantly. Once it starts to thicken and turns light caramel, stir without stopping so it does not stick, 30 to 45 minutes more.

5. Check doneness. Drop a little on a cold plate: if it does not run, and a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pot leaves a trail for a moment, it is ready. Remove the vanilla bean.

6. Jar it. For an extra-smooth texture, whisk 1 minute off the heat. Transfer to clean jars, cool and cover.

Tips for the best result

• Use a big pot: the milk foams up a lot when it boils.
• For a thick “repostero” style to fill cakes, cook 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Cooked too far and too stiff? Whisk in a splash of hot milk.

Storage

In clean, covered jars it keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.