The Chocolate Box — See’s Piece by Piece #14 — Dark Chocolate Butterchew
Love at First Bite
I walked into northern California’s largest See’s Candies store looking for something new. My local store, while historic and charming, is a bit small and I thought I might find some new temptations to taste at this one. I stepped up to the counter and was handed a free sample by the smiling lady in white behind the counter. “It’s a Dark Chocolate Butterchew,” she said.
“A Butterchew,” I said without enthusiasm staring at the square, lumpish candy looking lost in its brown paper frilled cup. “I guess that’s okay.”
Then I took a bite. The ugly duckling turned into a swan and a new favorite was discovered to add to The Chocolate Box.
Description: The Dark Chocolate Butterchew (See’s has registered the name) is another of See’s Candies mystery brown lumps of a candy. It looks remarkably like the Ginger, Marzipan and Dark Nougat candies, however its dark chocolate coating is distinguished by two parallel lines of chocolate drizzled on top. The inside of this simple candy is a core of vanilla brown sugar caramel that positively glistens. The dark chocolate makes a nice contrast with the deep amber-colored filling. It is piece number 23 in the See’s catalog and on the website. My ingredients list has information for a Milk Chocolate Butterchew, but I did not see this variation in the shop, catalog or website.
Taste: The first taste is of the dark chocolate with its slightly fruity edginess, then the caramel taste begins to come through. Whoa, momma. I know See’s does caramel right (see the milk caramel pattie write up), but this is a whole other level. Lots and lots of full butter notes and, of course, brown sugar. No off or overcooked tastes. And a motherlode of caramel. As the chocolate melts, the milky rich taste of the caramel takes over and the sensation of sweetness grows but it never becomes cloying. The caramel taste lingers for a long while, so sit back and enjoy it.
Public Service Announcement: This candy isn’t called Butterchew without cause. It is a buttery, softer caramel that is not overly sticky and probably won’t threaten any fillings, caps or crowns that are in good shape, but consider yourself warned that it does stick a bit to the teeth and the caramel to candy ratio is quite high. If you have dental work, be prepared to either carefully chew or let the caramel dissolve slowly in your mouth with each bite.
See’s Trivia: Well, not exactly trivia, but information. See’s Candies has put all its wonderful Easter Candy on sale for 50 percent off, but only at its stores. Some stores may already be sold out. If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, the San Leandro, CA, outlet, See’s largest in northern California, still had a good selection as of a day or so ago.
To contact the San Leandro store or for other See’s locations and their phone numbers, use this store locator. See’s now has locations in 28 states, the District of Columbia, and overseas. You may want to call before hopping in to see what the Easter Bunny left behind.
Ingredients: Dark Chocolate Coating (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Butter, Soy Lechithin, Vanilla, Vanillin), Cream, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Butter, Egg Whites, Vanilla, Salt, Cornstarch, Milk.
Well Fed Network Ratings: Compared to other See’s Candies, I would rate the Dark Chocolate Butterchew a 9.25 out of 10. Pros: Wonderfully satisfying caramel taste, winning texture, and a good marriage of chocolate and caramel. Cons: No nuts for those who like nuts in their caramels. For caramel lovers only.
