Behold the Scotchmallow.

Honey marshmallow + caramel + semisweet chocolate = a sweet force to be reckoned with. I grew up eating See's Candies brought by my aunt each time she visited from California, but I was not astute enough in my youth to single out the most winning confection of the box. Now I know. There is evidently a Scotchmallow bar, but research suggests that the bar, unlike the little Scotchmallow truffle thingy, is wrapped in milk chocolate, not semisweet -- a disappointment. I don't know what makes the Scotchmallow quite so good. Caramel is good. Marshmallow is good. Semisweet chocolate? Good. But somehow the Scotchmallow is more than the sum of its parts.

For those of you who don't know, See's Candies is a Bay Area institution. They are everywhere. Near our house is a See's Candies Outlet Store! As if that wasn't enough, there is a See's Candies in the office complex where I work. Oh, Mary See! Take your Scotchmallow and leave me alone!

I am not the only one to revere the Scotchmallow. I am not even the only one to blog about it! Today, I was in Williams Sonoma with my aunt, and found a cookbook (Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O'Connor) that features a Scotchmallow sundae. Now I have Scotchmallow on the brain (but not in the belly). I will resist -- until Easter, anyway. I hear there is a Scotchmallow egg.