Cajeta Goat Milk Caramel Recipe

If you have dairy goats, there comes a point during the milking season when you start looking for yet another way to use all that goat milk.

That's how I ended up making Cajeta Goat Milk Caramel.

Cajeta is a rich caramel sauce traditionally made with goat milk. It's sweet, creamy and absolutely wonderful with fresh apples - which was one of the first things I had in mind when I made it.

I love caramel, but finding organic caramel locally isn't always easy. Making my own solved that problem and gave me another way to use some of our excess goat milk at the same time.

What Is Cajeta?

Cajeta is a caramel-like sauce made by slowly cooking goat milk with sugar until the mixture reduces, thickens and develops that wonderful caramel flavor.

If you've never made caramel with goat milk before, don't let the goat milk scare you away.

One of my concerns when I made my first batch was whether it would develop the strong "goaty" flavor I dislike in some commercially produced goat milk products.

It didn't.

Instead, I ended up with a rich homemade caramel that quickly became one of my favorite ways to use extra goat milk.

Why Make Caramel With Goat Milk?

Anyone who has milked dairy goats knows that when they're producing well, the milk can accumulate quickly.

That's a wonderful problem to have, but it also means finding enough ways to use it.

You can drink it, cook with it, bake with it and turn it into all sorts of homemade dairy products.

Cajeta gives you another option - and a particularly delicious one.

It also gives you control over the ingredients you're using, which was important to me because I had difficulty finding the kind of caramel I wanted to buy locally.

And there's something very satisfying about turning milk from your own goats into a jar of homemade caramel.

Does Goat Milk Caramel Taste Goaty?

This was my big question.

When I made my first batch of Cajeta, I wondered whether it would eventually develop that nasty goaty taste I associate with some store-bought goat milk products.

The batch also made far more Cajeta than we could eat right away.

So I canned the excess according to my recipe and figured I didn't have much to lose. If I didn't like it later, the chickens could have it.

It actually took us more than a year to work our way through all of those jars.

And guess what?

No goaty taste.

When I finally opened that last jar, I was genuinely sad to see it go. The goats weren't in milk yet, so I knew there wouldn't be another batch for a while.

What Does Cajeta Taste Like?

Think rich, sweet caramel with the distinctive richness that comes from slowly reducing milk.

How dark and thick the finished Cajeta becomes depends partly on how long you cook it.

I've made mine darker and thicker, and I've made batches that were a little lighter in color and softer.

I actually found the slightly softer version easier to get out of the jars.

Either way, the important part was the flavor.

It was still delicious.

How Long Does Cajeta Take To Make?

This isn't one of those recipes I start when I have 20 minutes before I need to leave the house.

Set aside an afternoon.

The goat milk needs time to slowly cook down and transform into caramel, and trying to rush the process with excessive heat isn't worth it.

Lower, controlled heat also reduces the chance of scorching your Cajeta.

This is a recipe for one of those afternoons when I'm already working around the house or kitchen and can keep an eye on what's happening on the stove.

The result is worth the wait.

What Can You Eat With Cajeta?

Fresh apples and Cajeta are an obvious combination, but that's certainly not the only way to use it.

Try Cajeta:

• As a dip for apple slices
• Drizzled over ice cream
• Over pancakes or waffles
• On cheesecake
• With bread pudding
• Swirled into oatmeal
• Drizzled over brownies or cake
• As a dessert topping
• Straight from the spoon when nobody is looking

And here's where I want to create our contextual link.

If you love the combination of caramel and apples, try my Caramel Pecan Apple Butter Recipe too. It combines apples, warm fall spices, caramel and pecans into a rich spread that's wonderful on toast, biscuits, pancakes, waffles and oatmeal.

That's an extremely natural next click from this article because the reader is already interested in homemade caramel and using it with apples.

How To Make Cajeta Goat Milk Caramel

Once our goats came into milk again, it seemed like there was always something else taking up my time.

Eventually I finally managed to set aside an afternoon and make another batch.

I made that batch a little lighter in color and slightly softer than the previous one. It still tasted wonderful, and the softer consistency made it easier to get out of the jars.

Here's exactly how I make my Cajeta Goat Milk Caramel.

Print

Tips From Making Cajeta At Home

The biggest thing I've learned is not to rush it.

Set aside enough time to let the Cajeta cook slowly and keep an eye on it as it reduces.

Milk and sugar aren't ingredients I want sitting unattended over high heat.

Your finished batch may also vary somewhat in color and consistency. I've made mine darker, and I've intentionally made it a little lighter and softer.

That's part of cooking from scratch.

Once you've made it a few times, you'll start discovering exactly how you prefer yours.

More Ways To Use Goat Milk

If you raise dairy goats - or simply have access to fresh goat milk - Cajeta is just one of the things you can make with it.

That's one of the reasons I created my Goat Milk Kitchen resources. When the goats are producing heavily, having recipes and ideas ready to go makes it much easier to actually use that milk instead of staring at another full jar in the refrigerator wondering what you're going to do with it.

Keep exploring your dairy kitchen: Try cinnamon chocolate ice cream for another dessert, or learn how I separate goat milk heavy cream for your next kitchen project. Browse more recipes in the Homestead Dairy in the Kitchen hub. If you are getting started, sign up for my free 41-page Goat Milk Guide. The Toolkit below can help you organize your dairy batches and inventory.