Quick Date Dulce de Leche (Milk Caramel)

Dulce de leche, milk caramel. It's the first word that comes to mind when I think of Argentina. The Argentinians live for it. They put it in pastries, ice cream, cookies and yes they even spread it on bread for breakfast or afternoon tea (while I was there I put dulce de leche in my oatmeal). It's so good and so bad at the same time! Time for a healthy update. 

While traditional dulce de leche, made with just sugar and milk and sometimes a hint of vanilla, takes hours to boil in order for the caramel to form, this version is done in minutes. Of course, flavourwise it is not the same but believe me when I tell you that it is super good, very satisfying and reminds me of the good times dulce de leche and I shared in Argentina.

This is a super thing to have hanging around in your fridge so that you can use it whenever you are craving something sweet to put in your breakfast or bakings.

You might want to play with the amount of milk you add, for me 105 ml's was the perfect amount for the consistency that I like. I like thick dulce de leche. Easy spreadable but not too liquidy. I advise to start with about 100-105 ml's and add more until you reach the perfect thickness.

I made my dade dulce de leche with (unsweetened!) almond milk, but you can try it with any milk you want. Keep in mind that the type of milk you use affects the flavour of your caramel. I figure that by using coconut milk it will become more sweet etc. I will ley you know my findings with the next jar I make. Because ay dios mio, I will make this more often. That is for sure.

X Fleur

Ingredients:

• 6 Medjool dates
• 105 ml almond milk (or use coconut milk / water / unsweetened soy milk / rice-coconut milk)
• big pinch of salt (important!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla bean (do not use vanilla essence)
• small squeeze of lemon juice (to taste)
• pinch of ground cinnamon (optional, not traditional but good)

Method:

Soak the dates in the milk. The longer you soak them, the softer they get and therefore it becomes more easy to blend them. I soaked them for a few hours.

Blend the dates, milk, salt, vanilla and lemon juice and optional cinnamon until smooth. Add more milk or water if neccesary to get the desired consistancy. 

Store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge, up to a few weeks.