Dulce de Leche: A Sweet-Tooth Delight

The ingredients are very simple: just milk, sugar, a little baking soda, and vanilla flavoring. The most difficult aspect of the recipe is its long manufacturing process. The mixture must be cooked at a low temperature for two to three hours. It is important that the mix is not brought to the boil, and that it is constantly stirred with a spoon to prevent it from sticking or burning.

Most Latin American countries, Dulce de Leche (Arequipe), or caramelized milk, is one of the top desserts. People enjoy it in all sorts of ways: on bread, with ice cream, in pastries or by itself.

If you've traveled to Chile or Argentina, you may be familiar with Manjar or Dulce de Leche. These South American sweets are all related, although each country has its little secrets to it and is proud of its very own creation.

Today, dulce de leche can be eaten on its own by the spoonful or in various different dishes. It is undoubtedly the most popular filling for croissants and pastries.

Dulce de leche is also used as a cake filling, a principal ingredient in several desserts, and a trusty partner for sweet dishes such as crème caramel.

Dulce de Leche Layer Cake

The version of a Dominican cake that Scott Conant's friends introduced was a white cake layered with dulce de leche filling and frosted with a very sweet meringue. In his adaptation, Conant (along with his pastry chef Gerry Minos) lightened up on the sugar and on the meringue and added a nutty liqueur to the filling and frosting, giving it an Italian flavor.

Alfajores de Maizena (Sandwich Cookies filled with Dulce de Leche)

These popular sandwich cookies are found in various sizes at bakeries. Extra-thick dulce de leche between two buttery cookies rolled in shredded coconut all add up to the perfect bite.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

What’s fun here is the dulce de leche marbling. Earthy and less cloying than caramel, dulce de leche finds a gorgeous home in this creamy classic. 

Banoffee Pie

Dulce de leche, bananas, and a thin layer of chocolate make this decadent banoffee (banana-toffee) pie from baker and cookbook author Kamran Siddiqi a standout.

Dulce de Leche, Coconut, and Chocolate Chip Magic Bars

The secret ingredients in these sophisticated magic bars? Bacon and technique. Browning the butter gives the crust a nutty flavor; cooking it in a metal baking dish makes it extra crisp.