I am in love with Cajeta. It has this insane wonderful blend of cinnamon, vanilla, and sweet caramel. The smell of the house when it's cooking is enough to make anyone drool. It's just a little bit of heaven in a jar.
Cajeta
makes 3 small jars (I think, but we do quite a bit of "tasting" as we go)
1/2 gallon goat's milk
2 cups sugar
2 whole cinnamon sticks
shake of kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean, split + seeds scraped out (optional but please dont skip it)
1 teaspoon baking soda
In a large pot, mix milk and sugar on medium-high (make sure the total liquid is halfway up the pot at most). Add the cinnamon sticks, salt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds plus the empty vanilla bean pods. Bring to a boil while stirring quite often. Watch it to be sure it doesnt boil over.
When the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and call in the kids for the fun part. Stir in the baking soda. It will rise and get frothy like magic!
Return to heat, and stir about every 10 minutes or so (making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot). Keep the mixture at a gentle simmer.
After about an hour and a half, the mixture should start to turn golden brown. Remove the cinnamon sticks and the vanilla beans.
Keep stirring until the mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 15 to 30 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool slightly and then pour into small or medium ball jars.
You can keep it in the fridge for a week OR
Canning Cajeta
Clean out that big pot and add enough water to cover the jars by an inch. Bring it a boil. Add the jars. Start the 20 minute timer after the water returns to a boil. Remove the jars to a dish towel on the counter. Let them cool to room temp. Test the seals. If they didnt seal, you can try processing them again or you can keep them in the fridge to use within the week. If they did seal, make a cute label and gift them.
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