I'm too chicken to cook the condensed milk in the unopened can...are there any other good ways to make a yummy carmel filling? Has anyone ever tried the caramel apple dip as a filling? I saw it in the fruit section at the store yesterday and almost grabbed it, but thought I'd see if anyone else had tried it yet???
You can cook the condensed milk on the stove or in the microwave (I have used the microwave method and it turned out nicely-you just have to be careful you don't burn it (like I did with my first batch) 
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You can find directions for stove/microwave cooking of the condensed milk ont he Eagle Brand Website.
I have not tried the caramel apple dip but would think it would work nicely. Ice Cream topping caramel filling is yummy also.
In the ethnic section of your store your should find a product called Dulce de Leche by Nestle. It is very close. I use it all the time!
I only heard about cooking the can of condensed milk unopened when I came onto CC - I have always pierced a hole in the top of the can before cooking it. You fill the pan to just below the top of the can and just keep topping it up as the water evaporates (the caramel does leak a little bit out of the puncture hole as it cooks). This is the way my Mum taught me to do it and it's always worked well for me, plus you don't have to worry about exploding cans! For those of you that do cook the can unopened, doesn't the pressure build up inside and then 'explode' out when you do open it?
Kelly
I got a PM from someone yesterday who does caramel filling often and she said that she uses the little square Kraft caramels. She unwraps the whole bag, adds 2/3's of a cup of evaporated milk and then microwaves them for a minute at a time, stirring inbetween, until fully melted. She also said that you may be able to find something (depending on where you live) called Arequipe - which is a south american version of the Dulce de Leche by Nestle. According to her it's to die for.
I've never tried any of these but she seems to really like them. I plan on trying both. (She also mentioned the condensed milk option but since bad things happen in my kitchen, I opted out. LOL) Hope that helps... thought I'd share since I was having this conversation with her just yesterday!
Kelly75 - You need to make sure the can is completly cool before opening it. I did the can one time and I was told to let it sit overnight so that I know it was completly cool before I used it. You can make several cans at a time and then they will be ready in the pantry when you need them. I don't know how long it will last, but again, I have only done it one time.
In the ethnic section of your store your should find a product called Dulce de Leche by Nestle. It is very close. I use it all the time!
Here in australia the equivelant product is called NESTLE TOP N FILL.
Its heavenly. I add some to white chocolate ganache to make caramel ganache and always use it in the layers of caramel mud cake....mmmm yum
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