Dulce de Leche Dominicano (Dulce de Leche Candy Recipe) (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

If you do an internet search for dulce de leche, you'll find several bazillion recipes (give or take), but traditional Dominican dulce de leche is not the same as the milk fudge that is more commonly found in South America (most famously Argentina) and Central America, which we use only as a filling incakesand otherdesserts.

As with flan or tres leches, I'd be derelict in my duties if I didn't include this recipe in our collection just because it also exists elsewhere, because Dominican dulce de leche is a different thing altogether. Ours is a crumbly candy – similar to raw cookie dough – that can be combined in many different ways.

Dulce de leche en tabla.

Dominican dulce de leche variations

There are several versions of dulce de leche in the Dominican Republic. Dulce de leche can be made into hard slabs of fudge, known asDulce de leche en tabla, which can be layered with other types of "dulces," likeguava paste,pineapple jam, orcoconut fudge.

Another type is dulce de leche en crema, a soft fudge similar to South American dulce de leche, but less dark, as the sugar does not caramelize as much.

A popular version is "Concón de Leche," a semi-soft fudge with some burned bits. And don't miss dulce de leche cortada, the Dominican curdled milk fudge.

Traditional dulce de leche dominicano

In its original version, you would need freshly milked, raw milk. The recipe instructions call for evaporated milk because it has already cut over half the time it takes to make dulce de leche. If you don't mind an extra hour of cooking, use whatever whole milk you find at the local supermarket since finding raw milk is not as easy or advisable.

And just so you know, Dulce de Leche is sickly sweet, at least for me, so try not to overindulge, please. We would typically have a small square of it.

Top tips

• I did not have the traditional Dominican small molds used for dulce de leche en tabla. I improvised by covering a cardboard box of similar size with aluminum foil and spraying it with oil. You can also line it with thin wax paper or parchment paper. The size I used was 3"L x 4 ½"W x 2"H [6.75 cm L x 9.5 cm W x 4.5cm].
• You must constantly stir once the milk reaches a rolling boil to prevent overboiling and sticking. There will be bits of darker milk as you cook it. It is fine as long as it is not burned; it gives the dulce de leche a smoky taste.
• Boil in as big a pot as possible to prevent overboiling. Another brush the inside of the pot with some butter, although this is still not a set-it-and-forget-it type of dish.
• Patience. The trick to homemade dulce de leche is patience and low heat. It might take up to an hour or more to be done. If you try to boil it at a higher temperature to shorten it, you risk overboiling or burning the milk.
• Yes, this is quite sweet. This is to be consumed in small portions.
• I cannot give you exact cooking times, just approximations. How long it will take will depend on several factors, including even the altitude where you live. Did I mention patience?
• Instead of a piece of lime rind, you can add a cinnamon stick or a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the preparation.
• For a darker color dulce de leche, you can use brown sugar.

About this recipe

This candy is part of some of my earliest memories. I remember my grandma stirring a tub-sized cauldron with an oar-sized wooden spoon for hours to make this (everything looks bigger when you're a little kid).

I used to help my grandma stir the giant caldero. My reward was that I got to lick the wooden spoon after she was done. Good times!

This recipe is not like my grandma's. For one, it's hard to find raw milk these days. And when I tried using regular milk, I received complaint after complaint that it simply took too long. Very long, arduous preparation was how it was for my grandma!

For the latest recipes (if you have been here for years, you will notice the change), I suggest a change that cuts the time by half by using evaporated milk.

Buen provecho!

Recipe

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Dulce de Leche Dominicano (Dulce de Leche Candy Recipe)

By: Clara Gonzalez

Dulce de leche Dominicano (dulce de leche candy is delicious fudge squares that can be made plain or topped with jams or coconut cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 126mgPotassium: 359mgSugar: 50gVitamin A: 283IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 309mgIron: 0.2mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

Is condensed milk the same as dulce?

Condensed milk is not the same as dulce de leche. Condensed milk is simply industrially produced sweetened milk evaporated until it is very thick.

Can you replace sweetened condensed milk with dulce de leche?

No, dulce de leche and condensed milk are not interchangeable. You can, however, make South-American style dulce de leche starting with condensed milk.