Coconut Dulce de Leche

I have made caramel that called for heavy cream successfully using coconut cream with no separation. I usually cook this to the soft ball stage, where you can get a ball that holds together, but squishes easily, for Turtles. For a sauce, don't let it go that far. The secret here may be in dividing up the cream, and the cooking temp. This recipe never fails, either with heavy cream or coconut cream. Here is the recipe, to compare: MARY WILSON’S CARAMELS 2 CUPS GRANULATED SUGAR 1-1/3 CUPS LIGHT CORN SYRUP GOOD PINCH OF SALT 3 CUPS HEAVY CREAM (MAY USE HALF-AND-HALF) NOTE: if you get serious and try to follow candy-making rules, this will never work! Stay loose. Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1 cup cream in 6-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken. Add 1 cup cream, and repeat. After adding the third cup of cream, turn heat down to medium high, and stir constantly until caramel colored and thick--should form a firm-soft ball when tested in cold water (squishes and holds shape). Pour into buttered container and cool. Cut and wrap. Or use as caramel for other types of candies, such as turtles. When using for other candy, cool completely before coating with chocolate. Allow chocolate to cool and harden, then wrap.

• Virginia

• 5/3/2020

Easy and DELICIOUS!

• ldelgatto

• pACIFIC nORTHWEST

• 2/3/2018

This is soooooo easy and sooooooo good. And you don't taste that it is coconut as others said.

• BethAlane

• Carson City, NV

• 1/23/2015

p.s. Just want to add to my rave review that there is ALMOST no taste of coconut once it cooks down. If I didn't know, I wouldn't be able to tell.

• Jay3fer

• Israel

• 12/13/2014

Can't believe this is non-dairy! Second time making it, both times delicious. Used as a base for pareve (non-dairy) "turtles" with pecans and chocolate on top. I cut it in half, used white sugar (by accident), and cooked it to 250 degrees with a candymaking thermometer to help ensure that i would set to a slightly firmer than sauce-like texture. Mmmm...!

• Jay3fer

• Israel

• 12/13/2014

I experienced no mess with this one, but sadly (as tinah explains, below) I overcooked it, so the result was a little gummy with some oil separation that congealed into unsightly tiny lard-like blobs throughout the caramel when refrigerated. Nothing a good wisking can't fix, though. Quite tasty, but not a go-to replacement for a good ol' fashioned buttery caramel sauce. Definitely tastes of coconut.

• cupcake1028

• Coquitlam, BC

• 12/4/2013

Loved the recipe! Must be followed exactly in order to achieve best results. Says use skillet not a pot. This distributes the sauce over a larger surface therefore cutting down the cooking time. The splattering is from the water in the coconut milk as well as the high fat content in the milk. The splattering stops about half way thru cooktime. Separation happens with overcooking. Watch the foaming action when stirring, when it doesn't foam up you're done. Has to sit overnight lids off so no condensation builts up. Sounds complicated but it's not! You'll love the end result.

• tinah

• Ontario, Canada

• 3/10/2013

I had the separation problem too. Once it cooled, I have a dark color liquid in the bottom of each jar. I also had to cook it over an hour to get it thick. Do you think I overcooked it, hence the separation? Also, did anyone else find it very messy. Mine was erupting like a little volcano as it cooked!!

• georgiebrown

• Calgary AB

• 12/15/2011

This is so delicious!!! I accidentally used regular granulated sugar then put a little brown sugar so mine came out a bit sweeter but it still tasted great. I could definitely taste the coconut flavor. It thickened quite a bit when left to cool and put in the fridge. This is great for anyone who likes caramel and coconut flavors. I will make this again but try to make it into more of a sauce like consistency.

• chindrgn

• New Jersey

• 12/8/2010

For the chef who failed to achieve the proper consistency- it is possible that you got a grain of uncooked sugar back into the dulche de leche during the cooking process, which will cause it to fall out of solution or separate- oil/fat and lumpy sugar. what you are doing here is basically candy making and it's important not to let anything get into the dulche de leches once it has started to caramelize. the only way to save it if this happens is to try putting it in a blender. it won't be perfect, but it will certainly be edible. good luck!

• Berkeleybuff

• San Francisco, CA

• 12/6/2010

This is delicious. I used Chaokoh coconut milk, and the end result had great coconut and caramel flavor. I reduced it to slightly under 2 cups, and the resulting sauce was very thick and creamy.

• Anonymous

• portland, or

• 9/29/2009

I have already made this twice. It is so amazingly good!!! It will be a staple sauce in the refrigerator. The sauce thickens as it cools but it did take more than 20 minutes of simmering to reduce to 2.5 cups.

• Anonymous

• Boston, MA

• 1/16/2008

we had this last night over vanilla ice cream and it was heavenly. the addition of the toasted coconut sprinkled on top makes it ideal for dinner guests.

• patboz

• PA

• 1/13/2008

这是好的,我们的礼物这克里斯tmas as well. I had the problem of not quite acheiving a caramel consistency too, even when boiled down to only 2 cups. I didn't mind that it was a bit thin, but the sauce separated, with an even thinner almost watery layer that settled to the bottom of the glass jars. Did anyone else experience this problem or have any suggestions to avoid it in the future? Different batches had varying degrees of this separation!!!

• Anonymous

• Irving, TX

• 12/26/2007

这是非常好的,我可能会让gifts again. The one thing I wanted to mention is that 20 minutes was WAY off for me. I just let it boil on the stove till it was right. At 20 minutes it would have been very soupy.

• w00dsprite

• 12/21/2007