Sweetened Condensed Milk--who knew?!
Did you even know you could make your own sweetened condensed milk? I guess I never thought about it, but had no idea it was this easy! (See the recipe notes for another way to make it that I'm going to try next time & then I'll report back...)
Servings: 2 cups
- 3 cups whole milk, we use raw milk from the farm. Never ever use ultra-pasteurized milk or low-fat milk--read more here about healthy dairy options.
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, I used organic cane sugar, next I'm going to try it with organic palm/coconut sugar.
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 scoop grassfed collagen, optional, there's no taste and it adds nutrients for hair & nails, extra protein, and boosts gut health.
- 1 heaping Tablespoon grassfed colostrum, also optional, but it adds even more of a delicious flavor and has SO MANY health benefits, especially for your gut.
Add milk and sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a low/medium boil for about 45-50 minutes. You want it to condense down to 2 cups. You'll be able to tell as you dip a spoon in that it's getting thicker. Keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn or boil over, stirring occasionally. (If you taste-test it’ll start to taste almost like caramel, because it IS almost caramel--if you kept cooking it, eventually it would become dulce de leche, which is caramelized milk & sugar!) I keep a 4 cup measuring glass handy and when it's getting close, I'll just pour it in there to see if it's at 2 cups yet. If it's not, I put it back into the pan to keep going. When it's condensed, remove from heat. Whisk in butter, vanilla, and optional collagen.
When still warm but no longer hot, add the optional colostrum, whisk vigorously to make sure it’s dissolved well. (Cool to about 115* or so if you're using a thermometer, if it's still a bit warm the colostrum will dissolve easiest that way. Even though it still has health benefits at a higher heat, it's best to keep it raw when possible to preserve the most nutrients.)
Note, here's my friend Maureen's sweetened condensed milk recipe that I'm going to try next time and report back:
Start with 2 cups of heavy cream and add 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Reduce by half (boil down, being careful not to let it burn), and add 1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract. That’s it!