Dulce de leche is an indulgent treat. It's a thick, rich caramel made from slowly cooking milk with sugar. Making your own milk caramel takes time that many busy people don't have. Luckily, you can enjoy dulce de leche instantly when you purchase it from a retail store. Dulce de leche stores well, so you can enjoy it whenever you desire. Once you have dulce de leche in your pantry, you can try these four delicious uses for it:

1. Sweeten your coffee

There's nothing like a hot cup of coffee to perk you up on a cold morning. Many people find the taste of black coffee harsh and bitter, preferring to dress their coffee with cream and sugar. Forgo your normal coffee add-ins and try some dulce de leche coffee instead. Milk caramel is both creamy and sweet, so it's the perfect choice for sweetening coffee. Just add a little dulce de leche to the bottom of your cup, top with coffee, and stir well.

2. Make caramel hot chocolate

Hot chocolate is a great treat for kids or adults who avoid caffeine. It's easy to make hot chocolate from scratch, and caramel hot chocolate is an excellent new twist on an old favorite. To make caramel hot chocolate, heat the milk of your choice in a small saucepan. Add cocoa powder, sugar, and a small splash of vanilla, if you desire. Whisk the mixture well until combined, then add dulce de leche to taste. Serve the drinks hot with whipped cream on top.

3. Create a new type of fudge

Fudge is a rich, chewy dessert often made from chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. If you're not a huge fan of chocolate or you'd simply like to try something different, try making caramel fudge instead. Use dulce de leche to make sweet, rich fudge squares. Simply mix dulce de leche with melted butter and add in the chopped nuts of your choice. Grease a baking pan well and distribute your fudge mixture evenly in it. Dulce de leche doesn't need to be cooked. Simply refrigerate it until your fudge has reached the desired consistency, then cut it into squares for easy eating.

4. Make homemade snack bars

Snack bars are perfect when you're in a hurry and your stomach starts to growl. Make your own snack bars from scratch using dulce de leche as a base. Mix nuts, puffed rice cereal, and dulce de leche together until it forms a shapeable dough. Roll the mixture flat and cut it into snack bars for easy transport. Add some protein powder to the dough to make homemade protein bars.

For more ideas, reach out to a local dulce de leche retail store.