dulce de leche (definitive version)

it's been a couple weeks since dulce de leche v1.0, and the verdict is in. that version, as you will remember, was defined both by a beautiful color and a slightly acidic aftertaste. the basic recipe remains the same: a quart of milk, a cup of sugar, a vanilla bean; but i made two more batches varying in the type of milk product. the first of those batches employs regular whole milk, the second evaporated milk. in the photo above, there's a clear variation in the color of each batch (l-r: whole milk, evaporated milk, whole milk + baking soda).

there are differences in texture, visible in the photo, as well: the regular milk batch is a little grainier, even after food processing. in fact, after two weeks in the fridge, it has definitely crystallized a bit. the other two batches retained a creamier texture; perhaps it's the baking soda, but the baking soda batch edged the evaporated milk batch in texture, with a slightly softer mouthfeel. the baking soda batch did mellow a bit as it aged, so if you really want the darker color, you could probably do with adding in the baking soda. i would recommend not, in general.

i will say that making dulce de leche does not involve much skill, so go to it! it does require patience, but it will be worth it - this stuff does taste better to me than the typical way of making dulce de leche, with a richer taste and texture. if you're making this, don't forget that since there are so few ingredients, you should use good ones. your vanilla bean should be plump and at least moderately supple and bendy; if you're using regular milk, use an organic, hormone-free milk for best results.

dulce de leche

1 quart (4c) evaporated milk

1c sugar

1 vanilla bean

1. in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine evaporated milk and sugar. split the vanilla bean and scrape the beans out into the pan. stir to combine (the vanilla seeds will disperse more evenly as the mixture thickens and cooks) and turn heat to medium.

2. cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick and it doesn't run too much when you firmly drag a rubber spatula through the mixture. keep stirring it frequently, taking care that it doesn't boil, but rather simmers. the time for this varies, but it will probably take about four hours. it will look a little bit grainy as it gets close to being done, but don't worry about that. you will want to stir more in the last half-hour to make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

3. scrape the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. if you don't have a food processor (or a blender, or immersion blender), your dulce de leche just won't be quite as smooth - it will still taste the same, all debates about the effect of visual perception of food on its taste notwithstanding. this is a rare occasion in which i do actually recommend using a food processor. scrape the mixture into an airtight container and let cool. when it's cool, store in the refrigerator up to about a month or two.

[makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups]

caramel...melts

i don't usually take photographs at an angle - that "artistic angle" so favored by food bloggers - but for some reason, the dead-on photos just don't look as good. something about the straight shooting suppresses the cragginess of these cookies.

so, caramel melts. this is what i discovered upon leaving a tupperware of ganache-topped caramels in the fridge, with no outer coating of chocolate, for over a year. possibly for two years - i've forgotten exactly when i put them in for that long, long hibernation. i think i expected them to keep the way that, miraculously, my most prized caramel sauce has kept for two years as i slowly consume it. (the original delicious caramel sauce got a boost of sugar syrup from spiced, baked apples, infused and reduced with tea, that rendered it positively spectacular.) alas, it was not so. beyond acquiring the aroma of the refrigerator - airtight container be damned - the caramels absorbed liquid from the ganache and melted into waxy sludge.

luckily, while cleaning the fridge recently, i found a slab of caramel from some other caramel experiment (i have yet to find a definitive caramel recipe that does not include corn syrup, but the one i've posted before is pretty good nonetheless). i cut myself a bit to taste, and it appeared to be in good enough working condition to include in these cookies. these cookies involve a rather soft dough, due to the inclusion of yogurt to provide some of the moisture, and i think that as they baked, the caramel sort of melted into the batter, producing a cookie that's crisp on the outside, soft on the inside (from the original dough itself), and gooey in the center. that is to say, these cookies are delicious and you should make them asap. as usual, they will taste better if you use good-quality cocoa and caramel.

salted chocolate-caramel cookies

1 1/4c flour

1/4t baking soda

1/2t salt

5T butter

7-8T cocoa

2/3c sugar

1/3c dark brown sugar

1/3c plain yogurt or sour cream

1t vanilla

~3-4oz soft caramel, rolled into 1/2"-diameter balls (dice, then squish the corners in until it resembles a sphere)

1. preheat the oven to 350F (i accidentally baked these at 375, and it was fine). in a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

2. melt the butter in the microwave in a medium bowl. sift the cocoa over it and mix until combined. add both sugars and mix until combined. add yogurt or sour cream, as well as the vanilla, and mix until combined. slowly mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula or a wooden spoon.

3. take a couple scant teaspoons of dough and form it evenly around a ball of caramel (i stick my thumb into a ball of dough and put the caramel into the ensuing hole). if your caramel balls are bigger than a few teaspoons of dough will cover (you want at least 1/4" of dough on the exterior of your caramel, estimating of course), then use as much dough as you need to make it work. place on a baking sheet about two inches apart and bake until the tops are slightly crackled, but before the caramel starts leaking out of the cookies - about 10 minutes or so. let cool at least 5 minutes - cookies will be very soft and will need to set up a little. transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

4. store in an airtight container and eat 'em within a few days for best flavor!

[makes 30-40 cookies]