Step 1
Combine milk, the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, vanilla seeds (pod included), and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves and milk is steaming; do not boil (see Chef’s Tips).
Step 2
Place chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl, and ladle in about a cup or so of the steaming milk into the bowl of chopped chocolate. Let sit for about a minute before gently stirring to melt completely. Stir another ladle of milk into the bowl to make it easier to combine the chocolate mixture with the remaining milk.
Step 3
Reduce heat to low and gently whisk in the melted chocolate. Stir until chocolate is incorporated and the mixture is homogeneous. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod.
Step 4
Carefully ladle the vanilla hot chocolate into 4 mugs. Garnish with whipped cream, marshmallows, or dust the tops with cocoa powder, if desired. Serve immediately.
*For best results use whole milk or a creamier dairy alternative such as soy, oat, coconut, cashew, or almond milk.
*For a more decadent hot chocolate, replace ½ cup (125 ml) of the milk with cream (10% to 35%).
*To split a vanilla bean, place the pod onto a cutting board. Hold one of the ends of the vanilla bean on the board. With a sharp paring knife, cut the bean in half lengthwise. Run the back of the paring knife against both halves of the bean to scrape out the seeds.
*If a vanilla bean is not available, 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste can be substituted. Stir in the vanilla extract/paste after removing the hot chocolate from the heat.
*Keep an eye on the milk while heating. Boiling the mixture will result in a granular texture in the final product.
*Redpath Simply Raw™ Turbinado Sugar or Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar can be used instead of the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar. Note that using the Redpath Simply Raw™ Turbinado Sugar will result in a hot chocolate that has less noticeable caramel notes and may have a lighter colour. Using Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar will result in a hot chocolate that may have more of a noticeable caramel undertone and a darker-coloured beverage.
