Goat milk has been part of my diet for years. In my kitchen, it typically ends up as chèvre, greek yogurt, paneer, or cabécou. While those are all wonderful ways to enjoy goat milk, I was searching for something else.
Fortunately, someone told me about cajeta and as the saying goes, the rest is history. This goat milk delight is a sweet, dessert sauce. Think caramel sauce, but with a more complex flavor. I have even heard people refer to it as the Mexican version of dulce de leche. But what it all boils down to, is a sweetened milk that is slowly cooked down into a syrup.
Cajeta
- 2 quarts goat milk
- 2 C. white sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Use a crock pot (slow cooker) large enough to hold at least 2 liquid quarts. Add all ingredients to the pot and stir well to combine. (I start this in the evening after dinner.) Set the crock pot to HIGH and leave the lid off. Allow the mixture to reduce in volume (depending on your crock pot temperature, it may take up to 24 hours) to the desired consistency. Around hour 6, the color will slowly begin to change from white to a light beige. This is great! Starting around hour 15, periodically stir the milk mixture. By now you should notice that it has turned a noticeable caramel color. Continue to cook until the mixture reduces in volume to the consistency of a caramel sauce. (With my crock pot, it took approximately 22 hours.) As the mixture cooks, the color will continue to deepen and the sauce will continue to thicken.
This recipe will yield approximately 4 cups of sauce. If you desire a thicker and slightly darker caramel colored sauce, allow it to reduce further for another hour or two. Remember to stir! Please note that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Pour into jars with lids and refrigerate. This mixture will keep for approximately 3 weeks in the refrigerator. (In our household, it never lasts that long.) To serve, you can either pour the sauce into a pan and heat the sauce up or leave it chilled. Note: the mixture pours easily if you heat it up.
Serving suggestions: a topper for ice cream, drizzle over brownies or fresh fruit, spread over a piece of pound cake, spread between two cookies, and even as a topping for sundaes or milk shakes.
Feel free to experiment with flavorings. Perhaps you prefer rum extract to vanilla? Maybe a splash of bourbon?
The next time you are at a grocery store, pick up a carton of goat milk. If you are a little uncertain about if you will like it or not, you could prepare this recipe using half goat milk and half cow milk. This delightful sauce takes just a few ingredients, a trusty crock pot, and patience. Your taste buds, friends, and family will thank you. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with Foodie Friends Friday this week. I haven’t heard of Cajeta but it does sound delicious and easy enough to make. I love sweet sauces over ice cream.
I have been making cheese for years with goat’s milk and have been looking for something different to try. When I heard about cajeta, I thought that I would have to give it a try. It has a wonderful flavor and really is good drizzled over ice cream.
Can this be processed in a water bath to seal the jars after for keeping in a pantry?
Sorry for the delay in responding. I was researching this question. The FDA does not recommend canning anything that contains dairy… even when using a pressure canner. You could try freezing it instead.
This sounds luscious! I’ve had milk goats for several years but have not tried this. I’ll be featuring your post at Thursday’s HomeAcre Hop, so come on over and get a Featured Button if you’d like.
Oh it is. We have been enjoying it over ice cream lately and a friend shared a photo this week where she added some to her morning coffee! And thank you for the feature. How does the Featured Button work?
Love this! Why is it important to use goat’s milk versus all cows milk? Will it work with cow’s milk?
Cajeta is traditionally made with goat’s milk. In some areas of Mexico, they make it using a combination of both goat and cow milk. Cow milk should work… the key is to keep cooking until it becomes very viscous.
Wonderful! Thank you. I have around 14 gallons of goat’s milk in my fridge(s) & freezers 😛 Our two does are drying off, pregnant, and we won’t have milk all winter and into late spring.
I’ve got cheddar, chèvre, farmhouse fresh (both sweet and savory types), and some paneer already made. I’ve wanted to cook some down to make sweetened condensed for my coffee but this sounds even better.
Let the ‘winter weight’ begin!
This is one of our favorite ways to enjoy goat milk. We love to warm up this sauce and then drizzle it over ice cream, brownies, coffee cake, etc. Have fun and enjoy!
i made a batch this weekend as my does came back into milk. LOVE LOVE it. but one question. just as it was close to done, I used a plastic spoon to stir the pot and it foamed up almost overflowing. am I to use only a wood spoon or metal spoon????? why did it do this?????
Sorry for the delay. I wanted to research this in order to provide a good explanation. As milk heats, the water in it begins to evaporate. This concentrates the fat and protein in the milk which forms a layer at the top. (And generally, you can’t see this layer). Meanwhile water continues to evaporate, but it can’t easily break through this layer. So if it has been a while since you last stirred the milk, it may boil up and over due to breaking this layer and allowing steam to escape.
I have processed dulce de leche in a water bath, but I still keep them refrigerated afterward. I feel this makes them last longer in the refrigerator, but I wouldn’t feel safe canning them for shelf storage. I use small jars to do this and only open one at a time. You can buy cajeta from Mexico in glass or plastic bottles. My favorite is Coronado brand cajeta in the “quemada” flavor. These are stored on the shelf, even when opened, and the only preservatives they use are baking soda and potassium sorbate.
I also store my cajeta in the refrigerator. And we tend to use it within a week of making it. Thanks for passing along your favorite brand. I will look for it the next time I am at the store.
Working on this recipe but I am 22 hours into the cooking of it, light caramel color but no change in thinckness?
The thickness should begin to change. Try removing the lid so steam/vapor can escape. I would not suggest bumping up the heat as that could scorch the milk as it cooks down.
So, you obviously don’t “stir frequently” all night. When do you start it and can leave it unattended during the night?
Yes, you do not stir during the night. I leave mine unattended when I go to bed. Typically, I start my batch around mid-day.
Hi! I’ve attempted to make this twice. First time I used a large crackpot and I think the large surface area caused it to burn. The second time I used a 3 qt crock so I know the surface area wasn’t too much however it was starting to taste burnt before it thickened around hour 21. It’s very delicious but really runny even after refrigeration. I start after dinner let it go all night and don’t start stirring until about 15 hours. Do you think I’m missing something? It’s sooo good just runny.
Would you be able to set your crockpot to a lower temperature? And also set the lid of the crockpot slightly ajar. That will allow moisture to evaporate.
I have made this as written except using 3 different sugars and everytime it has been wonderful! It does end up sort of lumpy but I run it through my food processor and include even crusties that are shy of burnt…super good and a great intro for guests to try a product made from our goat milk! Thank you!
Glad you are enjoying homemade cajeta!