With holiday baking in full swing, I thought I would share this substitution recipe. I first stumbled upon this recipe when my kids were small and our grocery budget was smaller. I was perusing a Parenting magazine at the library when I came across a recipe for 7-Layer Magic Bars. I had had them once before, so I knew they would thrill my husband and kids. However, I didn't have some of the ingredients. This substitution recipe made the Magic happen in my house that year. I posted this recipe a few years ago, in 2019. It was useful to me then, and is now once again.
Homemade sweetened condensed milk works:
- in those bar cookie recipes (like Magic Bars) where ingredients are layered, then the milk is poured over all
- in Tres Leche cake, a yummy south-of-the-border fruit and cream cake
- in homemade ice cream -- very quick and easy ice cream if you have some of this in the fridge)
- to make your own seasonal coffee creamers, just add spices and/or extracts
- in candy-making, such as fudge
- or for use in caramel sauce
While this recipe yields just over 3/4 cup of finished product (about 8 to 9 ounces), larger batches can be made to keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days for use in many different baking/cooking recipes.
The savings -- about half the cost of commercial
For a price comparison, Walmart's Great value brand of SCM is $1.94/14 ounces at my local store, or 13.9 cents per ounce. This year (2022), that's my best price locally. My homemade version cost me about 55 cents in ingredients (in 2022) for 8.75 ounces, and about 5 cents for the gas stove, for a total of about 60 cents, or 7 cents per ounce, about half the cost of the commercial product.
