Homemade Crema de Leche (Colombian Cooking Cream)

5 from 1 vote

Crema de leche is the Colombian cooking cream, closest to heavy cream but lighter. This makes it at home from milk and butter: blended warm, then chilled until it sets. There are two methods below and they are alternatives, not steps: the first needs an overnight chill, the second thickens on the stove with cornstarch.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Chilling (Method 1)5

Total Time5 15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: cream of milk, crema de leche

Servings:

Calories: 92kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

Recipe 1

350 g milk about 1½ cups
300 g butter about 1⅓ cups
2 ½ tablespoons sugar

Recipe 2

350 g milk about 1½ cups
150 g butter about ⅔ cup
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Method 1

METHOD 1. Put a pot on low heat with the milk and the butter broken into small pieces. Stir continuously until the butter melts, without letting it boil.
Once the butter has melted, take it off the heat and blend immediately for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns frothy and pale.
Pour it into a container and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, or overnight. This is not optional: the butterfat has to set, and it is what turns the mixture from warm liquid into something with the body of cream.
Once chilled, stir in the sugar gently and it is ready.

Method 2

METHOD 2, the faster one. In a pot over medium heat, put the butter and milk, add the sugar and stir continuously until the butter has melted.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold milk and add it to the pot, stirring constantly. Keep going until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, then take it off the heat. It thickens further as it cools, so stop while it still pours.

Notes

For a quicker version of Method 1, reduce the butter to one tablespoon and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then heat and stir constantly until it thickens. Whichever method you use, the cream keeps about four days refrigerated.

Nutrition