This post has multi-levels of information!
1) A homemade sugarfree version of sweetened condensed milk
2) A keto version of sweetened condensed milk
3) Wanting to do a 'trial' recipe using previously frozen almond milk from my deep freezer
4) Using some heavy cream powder from our emergency storage
In regular baking, there are many recipes that use sweetened condensed milk. It's so easy to grab a can off the shelf and make the baked goods.... but not so easy when you are sugar free and/or keto or low carb.
In 2015 I posted a recipe for a sugarfree keto version of sweetened condensed milk, followed up by a post in 2019 because it's so awesome to use in my favorite homemade keto ice creams.
A few weeks ago I whipped up a batch of sugarfree sweetened condensed milk so I could have some on hand in the refrigerator for my favorite ice cream, cheesecake and bar recipes. However, I had to play with my recipe to use things I had on hand since I was low on heavy cream and I wanted to try using previously frozen almond milk from my freezer storage.
I believe in prepping for emergencies (if you follow me you already know that). One of the things I've tested over the past 2 years is freezing things like whole milk, almond milk and heavy cream. Milk freezes beautifully short term but I found heavy cream and almond milk separate.
My goal was to see if using previously frozen almond milk and powdered heavy cream powder could result in positive outcomes in cooked recipes (hoping the separation would come together or cook into the final product). And it did.
My goal was to see if using previously frozen almond milk and powdered heavy cream powder could result in positive outcomes in cooked recipes (hoping the separation would come together or cook into the final product). And it did.
Sweetened Condensed Milk - sugarfree
2 1/2 c heavy cream
1 c almond milk
1/2 c powdered sweetener mixture of 2-3 kinds; like monkfruit, erythritol and xylitol
1 T butter
1/4 t xanthan gum
In a saucepan, place the cream and milk and bring to a boil, reducing to medium low immediately.
Add the sweeteners, butter and xanthan gum.
Simmer, stirring, until it's thickened and reduces by half.
Let it cool down about 20 minutes and pour into sterile, glass jars
Store in the refrigerator
2 1/2 c heavy cream
1 c almond milk
1/2 c powdered sweetener mixture of 2-3 kinds; like monkfruit, erythritol and xylitol
1 T butter
1/4 t xanthan gum
In a saucepan, place the cream and milk and bring to a boil, reducing to medium low immediately.
Add the sweeteners, butter and xanthan gum.
Simmer, stirring, until it's thickened and reduces by half.
Let it cool down about 20 minutes and pour into sterile, glass jars
Store in the refrigerator
NOTES
This time I added the butter, sweetener and xanthan at the simmering stage instead of waiting til the end; no problems.
I only had a little bit of heavy cream so I substituted the Hoosier Hill Powdered. I used the directions on the container (3/8 cup of powder to 1 cup water) but then added another tablespoon or so to make it nice and thick(er) for my use.
The big trial was my almond milk. I wanted to know if I could stock up and save containers in the freezer. It separates upon thawing and although you can shake and blend it and it comes together a little bit, it doesn't go back to the original state, which makes it gross to drink but seems to work beautifully in cooked items like this condensed milk, puddings, etc.
I only had a little bit of heavy cream so I substituted the Hoosier Hill Powdered. I used the directions on the container (3/8 cup of powder to 1 cup water) but then added another tablespoon or so to make it nice and thick(er) for my use.
The big trial was my almond milk. I wanted to know if I could stock up and save containers in the freezer. It separates upon thawing and although you can shake and blend it and it comes together a little bit, it doesn't go back to the original state, which makes it gross to drink but seems to work beautifully in cooked items like this condensed milk, puddings, etc.
You can see how the separated almond milk and the powder make a rather grainy liquid before cooking. No worries it was smooth as normal once it simmered!
This was a video that I took a photo from showing it being stirred while cooking
Thickening up!! Smooth and perfect.
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The almond milk I buy and freeze are the plastic containers I buy at Sam's Club. They are grainy and separated upon thawing and I was afraid they were useless but in cooked goods, they turn out perfectly.
I mentioned my emergency storage heavy cream in the post above. I have Hoosier Hill Farm's brand and it performs wonderfully. I can't speak to other brands.
