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.

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

1. Who succeeded Larry O’Brien as commissioner of the NBA in 1984?

2. What LPGA Tour golfer, nicknamed “Bam-Bam” for her long tee shots, won majors at the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship and the 2015 ANA Inspiration?

3. Manager Bob Lemon led the New York Yankees to a World Series title in 1978 after being fired in the middle of that season by what team?

4. Name the race car driver, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, who was convicted in the late 1980s for importing and distributing over 300 tons of marijuana?

5. In a November 2007 game, what two quarterbacks had a combined age of 82, making them the oldest starting duo in NFL history?

6. Italian boxer Primo “The Ambling Alp” Carnera holds the heavyweight record for career fights won by knockout with how many?

7. What cast member of the TV sitcom “Friends” was a nationally ranked junior tennis player in Canada? 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, partyplanning, 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

Answers

1. David Stern.

2. Brittany Lincicome.

3. The Chicago White Sox.

4. Randy Lanier.

5. Vinny Testaverde (44) and Brett Favre (38).

6. 72.

7. Matthew Perry.