How’s spring going so far? Have you found yourself in need of some sort of extra-special treat? Maybe to celebrate the first few warm, sunny days or to forget about never-ending cold ones?
I’ve been trying to write this post for a few days now but it seems like the perfect time for someone to fall off the couch and bash their head on the floor or need help squeezing glue onto their ribbon bracelet is always juuuuust about the same time I open up my laptop—I can be easily distracted.
Do you know how many hours I spend dreaming about making coconut milk dulce de leche in the slow cooker? Soups are great, but I’m pretty sure that’s what this handy appliance was meant for. Picture this, you stir some stuff together and walk away only to come back a few hours later to the most heavenly smell and meltingly gorgeous sauce. For those of you who have not succumbed to the convince of a slow cooker (you homesteaders, you) the stove works too. You will need to keep a much closer eye on things, stir frequently, and the sauce will be done in about an hour.
Since The Professor can’t have the real deal dulce de leche made with sweetened condensed milk or even cajeta (made with goat’s milk, check out Deb’s version, it looks incredible) I’ve tried several attempts at a vegan sauce. I’ll admit, it is not the same thing, but it is equally delicious. It is more like coconut caramel sauce than that tinge of sour you’d get from dulce de leche made with milk: different but the same.
This sauce makes a killer banana split, especially if said bananas are sprinkled with sugar and bruléed to a crispy, sugar-coated brown, then topped with melty ice cream, loads of toasted almonds, and fresh raspberries. But cold on a spoon works too–not like I’d ever do that.
How about some more ideas for spring desserts?
- Strawberry Rhubarb Paletas
- Coconut Milk Crepes with Lemon-Streaked Strawberries
- Ginger Pavlova with Tropical Fruit and Whipped Coconut Cream
- Arroz con Leche with Rhubarb Sauce
Looking for more sweet treats? Check out all my dessert recipes here!
Slow Cooker Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche + A Toasted Almond-Burnt Sugar Banana Split
This is a recipe for 1 banana split, but is easily adaptable for more. Use your favorite treats to make it your own, toasted coconut, sprinkles, or even a cherry on top would be good. Vegan ice cream make this treat completely dairy free.
If the coconut milk wasn't whisked until completely smooth in the beginning you might end up with little lumps in your finished sauce. You can either strain them out or blend the sauce in a blender until smooth.
Ingredients
For the Dulce de Leche:
- 2 (13.5 ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Banana Split:
- 1 large banana
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2-3 scoops of your favorite ice cream
- Coconut milk dulce de leche
- toasted almonds
- fresh raspberries
Instructions
To make the Dulce de Leche:
- Combine all the dulce de leche ingredients in a 8-quart slow cooker and whisk until smooth. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Dulce de leche will seem very thin when it is hot, but will thicken as it cools.
- Let cool slightly, then transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
To make the Banana Split:
- Heat broiler to high. Split the banana in half vertically and lay, cut-side-up on a foil-lined, oven-safe frying pan. If you want to do more than one banana split at a time you can lay several bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over the entire cut surface of the banana and place directly under the broiler. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until sugar is melted and bubbly. You can also use a blow torch to melt the sugar if you have one.
- Transfer banana halves to a serving dish and top with ice cream, dulce de leche, almonds, and raspberries. Warm dulce de leche in the microwave for a few seconds if it is too hard. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
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A sweet sauce to die for… A very yummy complement for banana split!
Thanks Denise! And so easy too!!
Yes to everything about this!
Thank you, Aida! I’d gladly share one with you. Any plans to make it to North Dakota this summer?
This is amazing! I love that recipe 🙂
Thank you so much!
Kate, do you think the coconut milk dulce ingredients could be mixed and put into pint canning jars and ‘cooked’ in the slow cooker in a water bath like you can do with sweetened condensed cow milk? Just to make cleanup easier, though I could totally see licking the insert with this recipe 😉
Hmmm, that’s a great question Anita. I don’t know, liquid doesn’t evaporate the same in a slow cooker as it does in a regular pan so it might take a REALLY long time. I’d love to hear if you try, please let me know the results.
The sauce has a great flavor. This recipe could be improved by stating to use a six quart slow cooker. I made the mistake of using a 2 quart slow cooker and it did not set up after 10 hours of cooking, so eventually I put it in my instant pot on medium saute and cooked it until it was reduced and thickened. For people like me who might assume any slow cooker will work, it would have been helpful to see an explanation that the more surface area heated of the coconut milk the better and faster the coconut milk will turn into the Dulce De Leche. Also, because I used a small slow cooker I ended up having the issue of the coconut milk boiling over and burning my hand once during stirring.
Thanks so much Emily for leaving me this feedback. I’ve changed the recipe to reflect your notes. Really appreciate it!