Caramel in a Can

My friend D introduced me to this little trick while our husbands were in graduate school together. She and I originally became friends because we are both from Maine. Over time, D became a mentor to me. We spent many days together in the kitchen cooking and out bargain shopping. Eventually D helped me figure out how to care for my first newborn. One afternoon, D came over with a can of sweetened condensed milk and showed me how to make caramel in a can. We boiled it on the stove top and miraculously it turned into caramel, which D said she liked to put on top of pumpkin pie.

Well, I never made caramel in a can on my own until this week. I looked it up on-line and found that there are hundreds of recipes available. I decided to use a slow cooker method, as it seemed safer. I did not want any cans exploding in my kitchen after all.  The can may possibly leave a rust ring in your slow cooker though, so I put a silicone trivet in the bottom of my slow cooker to keep this from happening.

Carmel in a Can

Remove the label from a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. (Be sure to use a can without a pop top.) Fill completely with water. Turn on low and cook for 8 hours, being sure that the water is completely covering the can during the entire process. Turn off and cool 8 hours. Remove from slow cooker and allow it to come to room temperature before opening.

We dipped apples into the caramel for dessert, but likewise it would be excellent on top of ice cream, or many other desserts. This would also make a great gift with a homemade label.

This post has been linked to Try New Adventures Thursday.