Servings: Yields 1 to 1 1/2 cups of caramel
Ingredients:
– 1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
1. Remove the label from the can of sweetened condensed milk, leaving the can unopened. Make sure there are no paper remnants clinging to the can; you don’t want anything floating around in your slow cooker.
2. Place the can on its side in the bottom of the slow cooker. You can fit a few cans in most slow cookers if you plan on making a larger batch.
3. Fill the slow cooker with water, ensuring that the cans are fully submerged by at least 2 inches of water to prevent the risk of can explosion due to pressure build-up.
4. Set your slow cooker to ‘Low’ and let it simmer gently for 8 hours. Pull out the can with tongs carefully – it will be incredibly hot.
5. Allow the can to cool completely at room temperature before opening it. This is when the magic happens: as it cools, the caramel will thicken to that perfect, spoonable consistency.
6. Once cooled, open the can to unveil a golden treasure: your homemade caramel, ready to luxuriate any dessert (or spoon) it encounters.
Variations & Tips:
– To make a lighter caramel, cook the can for a shorter time period, say 6 hours.
– Remember, never open the can while it’s still hot, as the contents can be quite dangerous and cause burns if they erupt out of the can.
– If you’d like to make a batch of caramel ahead of time, simply cook several cans at once and store them (unopened) in the pantry—they’ll keep just fine.
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For those who want to spice things up, consider stirring in a pinch of sea salt after the caramel has cooled or add a half teaspoon of vanilla extract for a vanilla-caramel fusion.

– If you’re a fan of adventure and have a pressure cooker, you can make this caramel in about 40 minutes using the pressure cooking setting. Always refer to your pressure cooker manual for safety instructions!