caramelized milk and whey powder; caramel powder/dust
At first, I did not know what a "freezo" was. But since early 2022 when my girlfriend introduced me to this thing called a crunchy salted caramel freezo at one of our local restaurants, I was hooked. (A "freezo" is basically just crushed ice and some flavouring, one might say the milkshake without the ice cream.) Since then, we experimented with various places that sell them and I found one that is on par with the first one I experienced last year.
I never really knew how they made these caramel freezos, but since drinking them, I have been on a mission to crack the secret.
And in some respect, I found the "recipe". But not really. Through a combination of weird ingredients (in terms of how you use them), and the obvious (pure caramel dust/powder), I "invented" something that comes very close to what I have been drinking throughout the two years. But I made it "healthier", if you will. Healthy is obviously a very contextual term. Is a milkshake healthy? Not really. Is a milkshake healthy when you use less sugar and more protein-rich ingredients? Relatively or contextually speaking, maybe?
In any case, through some very basic research, I found a way to make my own salted caramel powder that is rich in protein, low in sugar, and can be turned into a milkshake or freezo almost instantly. I am also going to try and make mousse and ice cream with this, so stay tuned! But without further ado, let me show you how I make this delicious powder full of protein!
The Ingredient List/Recipe
| This recipe will basically be a ratio, but can easily be changed. I used a ratio of 2:1:1 with the following ingredients: - 2 part sugar, - 1 part milk powder, and - 1 part whey powder. |  |
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So, for argument's sake, if I make 200 grams of this powder, I will then use 50 grams of milk powder, 50 grams of whey powder, and 100 grams of sugar (and a pinch of salt and about 5 grams of butter). I just bought both kinds of powder, that is, whey and milk, because of the two different types of protein in them, one being easily absorbed (whey) and the other one helping with feeling full/satiated (casein).
From the nutritional information given on the back of the packages, 100 grams of the whey powder contains about 13 grams of protein and the milk powder about 26 grams. So, the 100 grams combined that I used contains about 20 grams of protein. Because I use 10 grams per scoop (as I will show below) in my "milkshake/freezo" drink, I get about 1 gram of protein. Probably not too bad considering I used basic ingredients. In the future, I want to add some collagen powder to boost the protein quantity even more.
The Process/Method
The process of making this powder consists of two parts: Browning the milk/whey powder and making the caramel (powder).
Browning the Whey/Milk Powder
This step is relatively time-consuming. It took me about 30 minutes of constant stirring. I begin by adding the whey and milk powder to a pan. On medium to low heat, I constantly stir or move the powder around in the pot or pan.
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| At first, it will not look like anything is happening. I used my nose to guide me. | Then, all of a sudden, you will begin to see a colour change. It will be slow, but you will see and smell the change. | Keeping hope, you will realise it is done when it smells like browned butter. This is basically the flavouring in browned butter! |
When you compare the browned and caramelised powder with the powder that you begin with, you see the stark difference. And obviously, your nose will also attest to the difference.
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Whilst this was cooling down, I started with the caramel.
Making the Caramel (Powder)
There are many ways to make caramel, from liquid sauce, to stiff pastes, to hard candy. In this recipe, I made hard candy caramel. This is very easy. I used in the photographs about 20 grams of sugar. You can decide between a wet and dry caramel. I hate wet caramels, so I usually make dry caramels.
On a medium to low heat, I added the sugar to the pan and waited until it began to bubble.
Keep it boiling till it gets to a dark caramel. I took mine off the heat too quickly, I could have made it even darker. But I am no expert in candy making and I hate this process as it always feels so dangerous.
When you reach the stage you feel it is caramelised enough, add the butter and salt. Be careful as sugar burns are not funny!
With the butter stirred in, I poured the extremely hot and dangerous mixture onto some baking paper and waited until it hardened and was at room temperature.
When it was room temperature and solid, I took a meat pounder and went to town with it. I bashed it until I was left with a caramel powder!
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A Brief Interlude: Cleaning your Pot with Milk
After making hard candy, you will have a pot and spoon with hard candy stuck to it. Rather than clean it in the normal manner, by boiling it with water, use milk! You will then have some caramel or toffee milk! (As you can see below, my first attempt at making the hard caramel did not go so well. But it was not burnt so I made the caramel/toffee milk!)
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Salted Caramel Powder
At this stage, you will have two powders, caramel and whey/milk. Now at this stage, it is as simple as mixing the two together!
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A Simple Salted Caramel Freezo Recipe
And here is my very simple salted caramel freezo recipe. I used the following ingredients to make about 300 ml:
- four ice cubes,
- 100 ml milk,
- 10 grams the salted caramel powder, and
- 1/2 a tsp of caramel syrup
I placed all of the ingredients in a blender and blitzed them together. Depending on your mood and appetite, you can either use ice cream, making a milkshake, or you can use just ice. The powder is so versatile, you can even just use it as a topping for ice cream (I am sure).
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Postscriptum, or Moderation is the Key
In the end, you have this incredibly easy to make and versatile powder that you can use in anything from baking cooking to topping ice creams to making, as in my case, freezos. Obviously, the "healthy" element should be taken with a grain of salt for obvious reasons.
Is it healthy? Probably not.
Is it healthy in the context of these types of drinks? I think so.
There are only four or five ingredients in this, depending on how you look at it. Normal table sugar, a negligible amount of butter, milk and whey powder, salt, and some time and effort. Most of these "industrially made" products contain so many additives and various forms of sugar and preservatives. My recipe does not. It contains the bare minimum and it makes for a really tasty treat.
Believe me, if you are a brown butter and caramel fan, this will drive you totally nuts. Beware if you make this. You might be creating a new addiction!
I am going to experiment with this by adding it to various things. I want to make a mousse with this, ice cream, and some cookies. I also want to experiment with different types of milk powder. I saw some coconut milk powder and I need to see if it works just as well. I have been meaning to make coconut caramel for a long time now...
In any case, I hope that you will try this! Please let me know in the comments if you did. Or if you have any other ideas you'd want to share!
For now, happy cooking, and be safe.
The musings and writings in this post are my own. The recipe is also my own creation and the ratios were from my latest experiment. The photographs are my own, taken with my iPhone.