Caramel Liqueur - A Wonderful Homemade Gift
by Anja
No matter how busy my job, my teaching and my kids keep me during December, I always try to set some time aside to prepare some homemade gifts for my loved ones. It's become a nice tradition to make and give these little presents. Moments I cherish, moments filled with the Holiday spirit.
This year I made some supereasy, yet super-delicious liqueur for all the grown-ups. I had a vague memory of my mom making this when I was young, and I remember we got to try some of the sweet and sticky caramel, before the spirit was added. Now I (and my loved ones) get to enjoy the finished product. It tastes very similar to a wellknown Irish Cream Liqueur, similar, but better if I may say. Give it a try, you'll love it, I am sure!
Ingredients
2 cups sweetened condensed milk*
2 cups plain vodka (if you prefer your liqueur to be less strong, you may use a little less)
Pour condensed milk into a medium-sized sauce pan. Over the lowest heat possible gently simmer until caramelized and thick, dense, and sticky in texture. Depending on your stove this may take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure you don't burn it, and to avoid lumps. Once you have a nice brown caramel, remove from heat and whisk in the vodka.
Make sure your liqueur is lump free (if not you may have to whisk some more), then fill into bottle(s) and enjoy over the next 4-6 weeks. It's best being kept in the refridgerator.
* If you cannot find sweetened condensed milk, use 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1 cup sugar instead. Add both to the pan and stir until well combined.
** If you want to make your liqueur more Christmas-y, add a pinch of ground cinnamon or gingerbread spice.
Merry Christmas and happy Holidays!
No matter how busy my job, my teaching and my kids keep me during December, I always try to set some time aside to prepare some homemade gifts for my loved ones. It's become a nice tradition to make and give these little presents. Moments I cherish, moments filled with the Holiday spirit. This year I made some supereasy, yet super-delicious liqueur for all the grown-ups. I had a vague memory of my mom making this when I was young, and I remember we got to try some of the sweet and sticky caramel, before the spirit was added. Now I (and my loved ones) get to enjoy the finished product. It tastes very similar to a wellknown Irish Cream Liqueur, similar, but better if I may say. Give it a try, you'll love it, I am sure!
Ingredients
2 cups sweetened condensed milk*
2 cups plain vodka (if you prefer your liqueur to be less strong, you may use a little less)
Pour condensed milk into a medium-sized sauce pan. Over the lowest heat possible gently simmer until caramelized and thick, dense, and sticky in texture. Depending on your stove this may take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure you don't burn it, and to avoid lumps. Once you have a nice brown caramel, remove from heat and whisk in the vodka.
Make sure your liqueur is lump free (if not you may have to whisk some more), then fill into bottle(s) and enjoy over the next 4-6 weeks. It's best being kept in the refridgerator.
* If you cannot find sweetened condensed milk, use 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1 cup sugar instead. Add both to the pan and stir until well combined.
** If you want to make your liqueur more Christmas-y, add a pinch of ground cinnamon or gingerbread spice.
Merry Christmas and happy Holidays!
