So your refrigerator is overflowing with milk…
Let me guess, it’s been about a week since you’ve been milking your goat and when you look in your refrigerator all you see is MILK! Jars and jars of white gold that you have no idea what to do with. However, let me tell you…..learning how to make cajeta with goat milk was one of the best decisions I ever made.
One of my personal favorite ways to use up goat milk is by making Cajeta. This sweet yet smoky, amber colored caramel is amazing as a topping on apples, or added into your coffee in the morning. If you’re like me, you just eat it off of the spoon.
It is one of the most simple ways to use up lots of milk, especially if you’re starting to get tired of Chevre cheese. Oh! And did I mention…you can drizzle cajeta over chevre with some chopped pecans for a sweet appetizer?
How to make Cajeta with Goat Milk
Goat Milk Caramel (Cajeta) Recipe
Keep in mind this is a single recipe. I have quadrupled (4x) this recipe with excellent results.
- 4 cups of goat milk
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1/4 c milk
- The first step to making goat milk cajeta is to add your milk to your pot. I have made up to a 4x batch at one time with great results. Keep in mind this recipe is for one batch. Make sure the pot is at least twice the volume of the milk. The milk has a tendency to boil over later in the recipe.
- Next, ladle about 1/4 c of milk from the pot into a small bowl. Add the baking soda to the small bowl with milk and mix well with a fork or whisk.
- Then, add your sugar and cinnamon stick to the pot of milk. Place on medium low heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, turn your milk up to medium. When your milk is at a simmer, remove from heat and add the stirred milk/baking soda mixture. Be careful because this mixture will foam and double in volume very quickly. I like to put mine on a sided sheet pan for easy clean up in case it overflows.
- Once the milk has started foaming, stir to reduce foam and put back on heat turned to low. Keep stirring occasionally until the desired consistency is reached. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so the mixture does not burn. The consistency should be like honey.
- Continue stirring and reducing the mixture. The smaller the batch, the less time it will take. A normal batch (shown below in recipe card) will take approximately 30 min to 1 hour and 30 min. A 4x batch will take approximately 6-8 hours. The slower the reduction, the better in my experience. If you rush the reduction process the cajeta may burn or become lumpy.
- After the reduction has cooled slightly, pour or ladle the warm cajeta into your desired containers. I personally use plastic 8oz deli containers that you can find here.
- Lastly, put make sure your cajeta stays refrigerated after cooling. Warm a few seconds at a time, stirring in between if you need a large amount. Enjoy!
As stated before, this recipe is one of my all time favorite ways to use up goat milk. Many times I will have multiple gallons of milk on the stove making cajeta. It makes a great gift to give or use on the holidays. Enjoy!