Sweetened Condensed Milk

I don't know about anyone else but I never have condensed milk handy in the baking cupboard when it comes to needing it for a recipe. I secretly hoped it was easy to make so I didn't have to go out and buy it. I searched online and most of the recipes called for it to be cooked for 2 hours on the lowest heat and I certainly don't have the patience for that. Thank goodness I found a couple of recipes which only needed 20 minutes in total to cook and just a few ingredients to use too which you will definitely have at hand  :) 

This Recipe is absolutely yummy and I know for a fact that I will NEVER by the shop bought stuff again with the ten ingredients in it that no one knows how to pronounce let alone know what they are used for (yuk ) Why didn't I know of this before huh?

Please give this recipe a go folks, I promise you will love it and like me won't go back to shop bought unless you really don't like it ;)

Ingredients:

1 and a 1/2 cups of milk (I used semi skimmed)
1 cup of sugar ( you can use any type)
pinch of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional but I used it)


Method and Preparation:

Have your ingredients ready to use.

The pic shows one cup of milk but I actually used one and a half cups :)

Add the milk and the sugar into a large pan and set the heat on medium.

Stir the sugar into the milk until its all dissolved nicely. You will already see the colour start to change at this point.

Now turn the heat up and bring the milk to a rolling boil and quickly stir in the baking powder.

The baking powder will activate and make the milk fizz and foam but don't panic , this is normal.

Turn the heat down to medium again and set your timer for 20 minutes continuing to stir.

The foam is slowly starting to disappear.

You will see the mixture thickening up as the sugar starts to caramelize.

Once the time is up, remove the pan of the heat and stir in the vanilla extract (if using)

Don't be alarmed with the foam it will disappear when mixed and cooled.

This recipe made just shy of 1 cup so go ahead and double or triple the recipe if you need to but make sure you use the correct ratio of milk and sugar. 

The consistency may not look thick at this moment but trust me folks it thickens as it cools so be patient :)

Pour it into a container of your choice and refrigerate until ready to use :)

You will see a thin film of foam at the top of the container after it's been refrigerated but this mixes in and doesn't affect the taste.
You'll also see how much it thickened over night.

Isn't that just gorgeous ! Just wait til you try it... It's amazing :)

Notes :

Homemade condensed milk will always be thicker than the shop bought canned stuff. If you want to thin it to your liking just add add a little boiled water to it until you get your desired consistency.

Do not take your eyes of the mixture whilst cooking it, burnt milk will result in a horrible end product and all your trouble will go to waste so keep an eye on the stove. 

Enjoy peeps, I hope you try this and like it.