Sassy Sugars

It is amazing how a sweetener can play such a vital role in a hot chocolate. On my last Surfas shopping trip, I also purchased a few different sugars to enhance my drinking chocolate experience: Muscavado, Demerara and Caster Sugar.

Muscavado is derived from cane sugar juice which gives it it’s a deep, dark color. Muscavado is stickier than traditional brown sugar and is commonly used in cookie recipes. Demerara Sugar looks like golden colored sugar crystals and is derived from Cane Sugar. Demerara is recommended for use as a crème brulee topping, desserts and as a crunchy confectionary topping. Also, referred to as “Turbinado” sugar, Demerara sugar is commonly used in Europe as a coffee sweetner. Caster Sugar is a fine sugar that dissolves quickly in liquid. It is excellent for ice teas and meringue desserts. I prefer to use Caster due to it’s fast dissolving characteristics and pleasant flavor.

In addition to Demerara, Muscavado and Caster Sugars, here are a few more to try in your next hot chocolate recipe:

Honey
Brown Sugar
Splenda – A sugar substitute
Anisette


Palm Sugar and Stevia are two other sweeteners I found, but have yet to try in a recipe.