Eagle Brand Caramel Sweetened Condensed Milk, reviewed

Limited edition flavors are all the rage these days, whether you’re talking about a special holiday beverage at Starbucks or a seasonal Oreo cookie flavor. Eagle Brand, known for its sweetened condensed milk, has also been testing out some limited edition flavors that are designed to show off how versatile sweetened condensed milk can be. Their new flavors include chocolate, which I reviewed a few weeks ago, and caramel.

When I hear the phrase “caramel sweetened condensed milk,” I immediately think about dulce de leche, which is made by caramelizing sweetened condensed milk until it is thick and has an intense caramel flavor. But this caramel sweetened condensed milk is not dulce de leche. Instead, it is a caramel-flavored sweeetened condensed milk that can be used in just about any recipe that calls for the original.

The new flavor is delicious, especially if you are a caramel fan. It has a wonderfully buttery caramel flavor and reminds me of caramel apples (but without the apples, of course) and would be an excellent addition to many desserts. For instance, you could make a batch of Millionaire’s Shortbread with an especially addictive layer of caramel, or as a way to turn your No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream into a caramel version. I enjoyed the flavor so much that I was tempted to eat it straight out of the can and used some to make a twist on a classic Thai Iced Coffee, so while it can be substituted for sweetened condensed milk, feel free to use it on its own, as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake or anything else you can think up!