See's Candies
When I was out in SF last week, I (of course) had to buy a few pieces of See's chocolate. I got their chocolate buttercream, the key lime truffle and some brown sugar buttercream (I can't remember the exact name). All were very good: smooth and good flavor.
Now I'm thinking of buying some online.
Which are some of their best flavors?
Thanks!
-
-
-
The "Awesome Nut Chew" bars are incredible (I always send a box to my sister at Christmas time) and they have the best peanut brittle ever. Even people who hate brittle like theirs as it tastes like toffee. The scotchmallows are also incredible.
As for chocolates, the bordeaux, chocolate butter cream and butterscotch squares are great.
-
Bordeauxbordeauxbordeauxbordeaux..Milk or dark, they are one of my favorite chocolates of all-time! They are so rich, so uniquely tasty..I drool just thinking of them. I used to get a BIG Bordeaux egg at Easter from my Mom when I lived at home. She still buys it for me for my birthday, every year. (or a full pound of the small candies)
The dark chocolate marzipan is really good, too. My MIL is excited when Mother's Day rolls around, she knows her pound is soon in coming to her!
-
I can't stand See's Candies! Hate them!!!.......................Just kidding. It's just amazing to see a string as this with No bad comments in it. I grew up in So. Cal. and obviously enjoyed the See's Candy Kitchens. Love em' all and get my mixed (milk & dark chocolate) box of toffee chips almost every Christmas.
BnF definitely approves of See's Candies. I like em' you will too!
-BnF›1 Reply -
My favorite is their Apricot Delight, or #64 on this page:
http://www.sees.com/sp1.cfmDon't know if they still do it (if so, it's not obvious on the web site), but they used to do a special 1 lb box of white chocolates in the springtime that was just fantastic. Which is where I first met Apricot Deilight. For a long time, they didn't feature them other than in the spring white chocolate assirtment, but obviously I'm not the only one who loves them. They're on the custom page by popular demand, and they even have a recipe posted that uses them!
-
-
OMG, just got my catalog and now I need to order some. Pretty box on the front of catalog too! My all time fav is the #66 Butterscotch Chew and #49 Vanilla Nut Caramel and if I have to eat chocolate covered ones, love #50, Key lime truffle. I usually order the 5 lb box and hide it in my jeans drawer. Stratagy there I'm telling ya!!
-
-
My personal favorite is marzipan, but when I buy my custom mixes, I also ask for dark choco truffle, dark nougat, maple walnut dark, the walnut caramel with its bottom dipped in dark chocolate, and the elusive cocoanut (sic) dark chocolate.
I got a nuts & chews box from one of those kiosks a couple years ago, but it was all milk chocolate. I love love love See's dark chocolate, but that box gave me the notion that their milk chocolate is somewhat pedestrian.
Speaking of cocoanut, that #102 cocoanut dark chocolate is listed in the hard copy catalog but not online! I have to call to place an order for it. You know how the catalog says if I can't find a candy I want I should ask? What's between #75, the highest number online, and #102? I can't find a complete list on See's website. Does anyone have a complete list? I want to know what I'm missing! I'm not greedy, noooo, just curious (right!). Thanks!
And (speaking of greedy) how big a box would I need if I asked for one of everything?
›1 Reply -
Hey QueenB-san,
I agree with RuthLafler and JeetJet, (see previous posting on this thread).
If someone were to ask me for my dream box of See's, everything that they mentioned would fill it.
The dark raspberry creams, sublime. Possibly my favorite of their candies.
Everything on the list? Favorites
Yoroshiku,
Andy -
-
-
I'm also a huge Scotch Kiss and Scotchmallow fan--the only ways I'll eat marshmallows. Well, I'm a Marshmint fan, too. My mother taught me to "read" a box of See's when I was a kid (round ones are soft centers, squares are chews, various squiggles and designs on tops indicate certain fillings), long before they had little pictures and names in the stores. No poking with toothpicks in our household! My other fave See's story:
I have a friend with four children, one of whom is allergic to chocolate, although white chocolate is OK. Every Xmas, I get them the biggest custom-packed box available--what is it, 3 pounds? And the See's folks make sure that *exactly* 1/4 of the pieces are white chocolate, because you KNOW the kids are going to count them.
-
Pecan buds
Peanut Brittle
Chocolate Butter
Bordeaux
Scotchmallow
CA Brittle
Milk or Dark Pattie
Milk or Dark Butterchew
TrufflesThey are all delicious but these are the ones I look for in any assorted box. I live in Houston and I can buy them at Rice Epicurean on Post Oak. I also fly regularly to CA and it's the one thing I buy and bring back from every visit.
-
-
Perhaps the most painful part of living in Tennessee after a childhood in California was See's withdrawal... always looked for that comforting foil seal at the end of any long thin boxes from CA family at Christmastime! When the holiday-season-only kiosk opened at the Green Hills mall in Nashville, my entire family went into death-con emergency notification mode... but the kiosks are definitely NOT the same as going into the sparkling black-and-white stores, the heaviness of chocolate in the air, the smiling employees in their white aprons with their blessed samples...
I pack two one-pound boxes every time I visit a store:
1/2 lb. Butterscotch squares (I always lose at least half of these to my scavenging dad)
1/2 lb. Dark Chocolate Bordeaux
other pound mixture of Raspberry Creme, Scotchmallow, Dark Chocolate Ginger, Dark Molasses, PIneapple Truffles (yum), etc.... and most importantly, Tipperary Bon Bons! I can't believe no one has mentioned these... -
-
Phoenix has a very large See's shop on Camelback Road and the place has a line out the door during the holidays ... and rightfully so.
My favorites are the Cashew Brittle and the Dark Chocolate Covered Peanuts.
But you can't go wrong with a big box of Nuts & Chews.
The best part for me is that I am employed by a company that gets the See's volume discount (around $2-3 a box).
-
Kind of a stupid question but has anyone ever seen an ingredient list for the Scotchmallow? I looked on the See's website and didn't see one. Basically, I'm curious if this particular candy has gelatin in it. Thanks in advance to anyone who might know the answer to this!
›4 Replies-
-
-
re: Bunson
Scotchmallow Bar is in hand, the only thing stopping me from devouring it, is typing this. Here's the list - Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Cocoa Butter, Milk, Honey, Chocolate, Egg Whites, Brown Sugar, Butter, GELATIN, Vanilla, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin, Corn Starch. 170 calories, 60 from fat.
yum!
-
-
-
-
-
I see I was just beaten to the punch -- California Crunch! Peanut butter on the inside and rolled in walnuts. I loved the Bordeaux as a kid, but find them too sweet now. They also used to have crunchy peppermint wafers dipped in chocolate and wrapped in red foil that my mom would send me at Girl Scout camp, but not for many years now.
-
-
-
When I lived out of state I liked how See's had kiosks set up at the airports for that last minute withdrawel impulse buy. That being said these are my favorites that are always the first to go out of any box -
Scotchmallow - hands down my favorite. The fluffy marshmallow and chewy caramel are perfect together.
Bordeaux (brown sugar buttercream) - I never get tired of this, and you can take small bites and still get the full flavor in each bite.
Rum Nougat - some people don't like this flavor, I think it's a perfect blend of flavor and texture...sweet, creamy, fruity, chewy, crunchy, juicy...
Dark Nougat - a gourmet mini Mars bar.
Hmmm...they also have a Cherry Cordial but it looks like it's not on the list for a custom box. Either way a box of just the four flavors above is all I need, but the Assorted Chocolates assortment is what I normally get.
-
-
-
Am I the only one who likes the 'date'? Molasses chip (cause you get so many in a cup), the dark chocolate gingers are great but kind of heavy. There is a ginger crisp that comes in a foil packet that is quite good. I like the rum nougat, marzipan,blueberry truffle and the Bourdeaux, but not the Mayfair. All of the nuts are good, but I stay away from the chews. And I never did understand the fascination with Scotchmallows. Those always went back in the box with a bite out.
-
I love the fact that See's candies gives out samples. I've found my faves by sampling. I like the following:
scoth kisses - caramel and marshmallow
rum nougat - rum flavor nougat with cherries and walnuts
chocolate chip truffle - chocolate truffle with dark chcolate coating
I customize box with these three.
As mentioned before, just sample with the candies until you find your favorites, from on-line. If you do make it out here to California, make it a must to visit See's.›1 Reply -
i need to put in a plug for Summertimes, Mayfairs, and Divinity Puffs..............yumbolicious!
The Summertimes have multiple layers with chocolate being on the inside and walnuts on the outside. Mayfairs have some tasty cherry filling with chocolate on the outside. What can you say about the puffs other than yummy.
my family gets me a couple pounds of those three mixed for my birthday and i just sink into a sugar high for a few days.
-
Hey QueenB, See's sells in ValleyView and some other local (DFW) malls during the holidays. They also have a stand at Rice Markets in Houston if you get down there much. The Scotchmallows and Nuts&Chews box rock, and I grew up on the caramel lollys as a kid in SoCal. All good.
›1 Reply-
re: mlschot
so did I!
My dad would give away See's caramel lollys to friends and relatives when my sisters were born(instead of like cigars for baby boys). They are still my favorite lollipop to date and and I've tried many and from various countries.
My dad also happens to be the biggest See's candies fan along with my uncle.
-
-
-
Ha! What a loaded question - should you not have asked what aren't their best flavors?
Anyway, here's my current favorites (have three pounds of a mixture of some of the following in the freezer, and have at least one box of the Awesome Nut& Chew Bars in the fridge):
- Dark chocolate peppermint patties (like a York, only better)
- Dark chocolate/lemon truffle
- Dark chocolate chip truffle
- Dark chocolate buttercreme
- Dark chocolate raspberry truffle (not the raspberry creme, which I don't care for)
- Dark pattie (dark chocolate over caramel)
- Dark California brittle
- Scotchmallow!!!As you can guess, I like their dark chocolate offerings. In the spring I buy their dark chocolate over chocolate buttercreme eggs - they're incredible!
See's used to make a wonderful peppermint twist hard candy, but phased them out last fall. However, I was speaking with a salesclerk a couple weeks ago and she said that the peppermint twists should be coming back.
They also used to make an incredible dark chocolate truffle with an orange buttercreme filling that was perfect - sadly, it's now only available with the milk chocolate, so I don't buy it. Grumble, Grumble.
›4 Replies-
re: ElsieDee
One change in See's over the years is more seasonal offerings. This year someone posted on Chowhound about the "sour stars" (for Fourth of July), but they were sold out when I went to get some. The nice See's lady (surely a redundancy!) told me they sell out of those every year, but they're coming out with other versions for other holiday -- look out for "sour bats" for Halloween!
-
re: Ruth Lafler
Oh, I love the sour bats! I buy 10+ bags of them every fall and send most of the bags to relatives with younger kids - parents and kids seem to enjoy them equally. Of course, I save more than a few of the bags for myself *grin*. I did, this year, manage to score one bag of the sour stars - they're good, but not as addicting as the bats.
-
-
-
-
I love, love, love their Scotchmallow. No one else does a marshmallow with such lovely honey notes. The dark chocolate on the outside is Guittard, very nice and complex.
My favorite box to recieve is the Nuts & Chews, there are only two or three items in there I don't eat (luckily I can find someone else to take them).
The also have a candy bar that is fabulous, called the Awesome Nut & Chew bar, they're a dollar each in the stores or you can buy them by the box. It's a chewy nougat with almonds covered in dark chocolate. It's pretty much the same thing as the Dark Nougat from the nuts & chews box.
See's caramel is really good, a nice balance of sweet, burnt sugar, smooth butter and a good firm chew. Their toffee is similarly nuanced.
There really isn't anything that I don't like in their mix, though I am allergic to walnuts, so there's a good percentage of their variety that I can't have.
You can design your own mix on their website, or save a bit of money and take one of the pre-mix boxes. Good luck!
(See's often puts up Holiday kiosks in malls all over the country ... just a limited time thing, but at least folks can avoid shipping charges at the holidays.)
›1 Reply -
See's is the best by far. Some of my favorites:
Milk Chocolate w/ Almonds Bar: Why can I not resist these when children sell them outside of grocery stores? Also the milk w/ almonds individuals are so addictive.
Bordeaux: These chocolate sprinkle covered delights are heaven defined. Great as individual candies but the Bordeaux Bar is the real star.
Cashew Brittle: A light crunch with toasted cashews and coconut dipped in white chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream: Nuff said. Perfect for that 4pm chocolate fix.
Peanut Brittle... that doesn't break your teeth! Buttery and delicious.
They also sell chocolate chips. I could list a milliion things for See's. Yummy.
›1 Reply -
California brittle, Bordeaux. Or just go online and work your way through their repertoire.
-
My favorites are the butterscotch square -- more intensely brown-sugary than the bordeaux;
the Apricot Delight (Apricot buttercream with chopped apricot and toasted coconut) and the Kona Mocha (Coffee, chocolate buttercream and toasted coconut). Maybe this is only available in the stores, but the apricot bonbon is also scrumptious. Once they gave me a sample of a dark truffle and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. -
-
I experimented with Godiva for a while, but have fully come back to Sees. Nearly everything is good, but my favorites are the truffles, Milk Bordeaux, Raspberry Cream, and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties (you will never even look at a York pattie again!). The peanut brittle is also exceptional. As an aside, Sees is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, but they did not change anything with the recipes - except for the chocolate covered Geico geckos...
-
Dark chocolate nuts are the very best and the lollypops are a crowd pleaser. Never leave California without a box.
›8 Replies-
re: vanessaknows
I didn't realize See's was still a California thing here in the US... They actually have branched out to Asia but not beyond California here in the States?
I've learned over the years that when you pack See's for the trip home, wrap it well or put it in plastic bags. We used to send it to relatives in Asia via slow boat as well as by air, and we'd get no response from them about the See's. Turns out they were being polite because they just didn't get how we would keep sending them crappy chocolates that smelled and tasted wierd. The problem was that, like chocolates in general, the See's were pulling in odors from the other contents in and around the package. Once we figured this out, we started wrapping them in plastic and our relatives' views on See's changed 180 degrees...
-
re: bulavinaka
On their website, See's lists locations in 30 states and in Washington, D.C. As someone above said, I too have been eating See's since I was about 3 years old. I'm still a fan, which is a good thing because my Mom sends See's for virtually every occasion that exists.
I think they get their chocolate from Guittard. Whatever they do with it always seems to work for me, though. The chocolates that end up in our house and stay here are almost exclusively See's and Jacques Torres.
Our favorites are the dark chocolate buttercream, the dark bordeaux and the butterscotch kisses. I'm also a big fan of their "little pops" hard candies.
-
re: ccbweb
I got all excited about what ccbweb said about locations - I thought, when did this happen and how did I miss it? - but it turns out that that list of states is kind of fake. In Maryland and DC all it lists is that you can buy some already boxed assortments in Lord and Taylors, and in a couple of other places where you need a military ID!
The last few years they have also opened some little stores for a month or so at Christmas. But on the whole, mail order is the only real option.
-
-
-
-
I don't know if you can order individual chocolates or candies from their online menu or not, but if you can, order just about anything that sounds good to you. I've rarely been disappointed with their products and when I have, it's been more to do with personal preference. I've been eating since I was a kid and almost always drop in any See's shop when I'm walking by to this day.
Their Victoria Toffee is great, and as others have mentioned already, their box sets, like the nuts & chews, as well as their creams are great. Their dark chocolate has a nice balance of sweet and bitter to it, so if you prefer dark chocolate, this is something to consider as well. In fact, they have been offering chocolate bars for the past several years, all of which are very nice. The milk chocolate is very velvety and rich, while the dark chocolate, well, I've already mentioned - it's spot-on.
›6 Replies-
-
-
re: chowser
Yeah, but the mint truffles are really good -- similar to a lot of other "mint meltaway" type confections, but better.
One more thing -- although See's are an incredible value, you can even save money by buying one-pound gift certificates at Costco: two one-pound gift certificates for $21-something. Less than $11/pound! I always try to have a couple on hand, as they make nice spur-of-the-moment gifts.
-
-
-
-
-
The brown sugar buttercream is called Bordeaux. While I'm also fond of their nuts and chews, I love the fruit-flavored creams - a good old-fashioned cream is hard to find nowadays. Their chocolate-covered marzipan is also surprisingly good, if you like marzipan. And their bridge mix is addictive.
›1 Reply-
re: Allstonian
LOOOOOVE BORDEAUX!
also vanilla buttercream, butterscotch square, scotch mallow, scotch kiss, maple, wish the strawberry was coated in white chocolate, apple pie and key lime pie truffles, butterscotch chew...
it's probably a good thing that my tummy is too finicky for these with any sort of regularity.
-
-
-
-
re: LAWoman
I love the Scotch mallows too! As a kid, the molasses chips and scotchmallow maximized the value equation for me. I'd put 50¢ on the counter and ask the nice ladies for some of each. Because they're lightweight, the volume returned for my four-bits seemed like the best value on a poundage basis. Plus, the See's ladies usually gave me TWO free samples and let me pick what I wanted. Then I'd go for one of the heavy creams for the freebies.
-
-
-
-
I haven't had See's in years but I, too, used to prefer the nuts and chews. However, I would often buy a box for an elderly relative who preferred the creams and when I sampled some with him, I really liked the lemon, raspberry, strawberry and orange creams a lot. If you liked the Key Lime you would probably enjoy these. Their hard almond toffee is also very good. I've not tried it but that Glaced Ginger looks interesting.
-
-
re: mardy
Yup. The raspberry buttercreams (not the raspberry truffles) are excellent -- not only that, but I've been eating them for almost 40 years and they're exactly the same as they were (except, for some reason, there are occasionally bad batches (paler color, not as good flavor) in the summer time -- must have something to do with how they source their raspberries). Actually, I like virtually all of their dark chocolates, but a few favorites are: butterchews (the best of their caramels), Scotchmallows (caramel and marshmallow in dark chocolate), marzipan, ginger (the ginger isn't in any of the pre-boxed assortments), dark Bordeaux (brown sugar buttercream), lemon truffle (lemon filling, not lemon flavored chocolate), the chocolate buttercream with dark chocolate, or for an even more intense chocolate experience, the chocolate chip truffle.
For more nutty/chewy things, the toffeettes are great, as are the almond royal (chocolate caramel with almonds).
If you deign to eat milk chocolate, the California brittle is excellent (it also comes in dark, but I think the original milk version is better), the butterscotch squares are great, and I like the Chelsea (chocolate buttercream with nuts) and Mayfair (vanilla buttercream with nuts and cherries).
If you like pecan logs, their version is excellent. I'm sure I've forgotten something!
-
-
re: Ruth Lafler
Your post is making me want them NOW! You mention so many and I agree with every word. There is something special about their dark chocolates. I have never found another marzipan that I like comparied to See's. The Milk Chocolate "California Brittle" (Toffee brittle in a coating of milk chocolate) is the one I get by the "box full" (why settle for a pound when they can fit more in the box?). The other one I like, and keep as a private stash in their own little box, is the Awesome Nut & Chew Bar (Nougat, almonds, and a drop of honey in every bite all covered with dark chocolate – Awesome!). In Cal. we are lucky to have such a great local sorce of chocolate at such a great price. To the OP, Summer time mailing may result in melting. Therefore, if these get mailed be at home waiting to put them in a cool place.
Awesome Nut & Chew Bar
http://www.sees.com/Prod.cfm?CatGroup...
-
-
-
This is probably too broad a reply for you, but I always prefer their nuts & chews boxes.
~TDQ
›3 Replies





























