Have you ever tried to buy dulce de leche in the store? It is SO hard to find. At least where I live! I literally went to 3 stores to find some and nada!  Dulce de leche is so incredibly decadent and delicious in pretty much any form. Resembling caramel, all it is is boiled milk and sugar.  My favorite ways to eat it are in crepes, on toast and with apples! This recipe is fool proof, guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser and it’s cheap to make! If you make this in the Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting, it cooks much faster than in a crock pot (about 5 hours versus 8 in a slow cooker). I believe I was able to fit 7 in my Instant Pot and another 9 in my Crock pot.

This year for my neighbor’s Christmas gifts I decided to give a jar of dulce de leche with a couple fresh,  crisp apples. I found the idea on Pinterest for a teacher gift but thought it was a perfect Christmas gift too. Super easy and something the family will love. It also doesn’t hurt adding a little fresh fruit into the holiday cookie/sweets selection.  I like to have dulce de leche on hand for ice cream topping, pancake topping, and anything really! I mean, it’s a glorified caramel so it’s good right off the spoon! But I don’t ever do that….:D

Full recipe below.

Crock Pot/ Instant Pot Dulce de Leche

8 ounce mason jars, washed and dried
Sweetened condensed milk
water
Slow cooker or Instant Pot

1. Wash and dry mason jars. Fill almost full with sweetened condensed milk. One can will fill about 1 and half 8 ounce jars so you may want to buy a few jars.
2. Close and seal jars tightly.
3. Place into slow cooker and pour enough water to completely cover the jar in the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours or until desired color/consistency. I like it pretty dark and rich. The longer it cooks, the thicker and richer it is.
5. Remove from slow cooker and let cool.
6. Store for up to a month in the refrigerator. Jars should seal after cooking.