dulce de leche

noun

dul·​ce de leche ˈdəl-(ˌ)sā-də-ˈle-ˌchā 

ˈdül-

: sweetened caramelized milk that is traditionally made by reducing a mixture of milk and sugar over heat

Pastry chefs are obsessed with dulce de leche, the luscious, milky South American caramel.

—Food & Wine

… the three distinct textures—cakey brownie, gooey dulce de leche and semi-firm ganache—worked in a tasty little harmony.

—Gregory Furgala

To make a good dulce de leche—a gradual reduction of milk and sugar and bicarbonate of soda—is a time consuming and laborious process …

—Joe McNamee

Dulce de leche is a luscious topping made by slowly caramelizing sweetened milk. Many people make it by boiling a can of condensed milk unopened in a pot of simmering water …

—Stephanie Eddy

—often used before another noun

… astonishingly rich dulce de leche cheesecake with spiced caramel popcorn.

—John Mariani

Examples of dulce de leche in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With that, revelers were surprised with a sweet treat for the road, a dulce de leche crepe, and, of course, just one more glass of bubbles. —Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 19 July 2024

Our thought bubble: Sommer's favorite flavor is coffee, while Martin loves a scoop of dulce de leche or cookies and cream. —Martin Vassolo, Axios, 19 July 2024

Here is a round up of the best homemade brownie recipes, from classic chocolate to caramel and dulce de leche, mint and peppermint, cookies-and-cream, and more. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 14 July 2024

Some had a flavor similar to dulce de leche (cooked longer). —Amanda Hobor, CNN, 2 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish, from Spanish dulce "sweet food, dessert" (noun derivative of dulce, adjective, "sweet," going back to Latin dulcis) + de "of, from" (going back to Latin dē) + leche "milk," going back to Latin lact-, lac — more at dulcet, de-, galaxy

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above