Butterscotch by Biscocho Haus

Jaro Iloilo's Original Biscocho Haus is one of the most famous purveyors of pasalubong items from Iloilo. In my predominantly Ilonggo household, I practically grew up on Biscocho Haus treats. Once in a while, somebody would go home to Iloilo and whenever I ask for pasalubong, I am pretty sure there will be something there from Biscocho Haus. I don't really ask for anything in particular because I am perfectly happy with perhaps a pack of barquillos, empanaditas, galletas, caramel tart, toasted mamon, buttered toast, otap, or, dare we forget this veteran pasalubong store's namesake, biscocho... but one thing I really get excited over is butterscotch. I go through a bag of these outrageously moist and chewy confection in a matter of minutes.

I know these things probably go straight to your waist once you swallow them but if you've tasted a Biscocho Haus butterscotch, you probably have a pretty good idea why I just couldn't help myself. For an extra heart-stopping treat, try washing them down with hot cup of tablea hot chocolate. Yum, yum, yum...

Biscocho Haus Butterscotch

Just an observation though, technically, "butterscotch is a type of confectionery made by boiling sugar, butter, cream, and vanilla. In many ways the ingredients for butterscotch are similar to toffee; the major difference is that the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage for butterscotch and the hard crack stage for toffee" (wikipedia.com). Notably, nothing in that ingredients list mentions anything about flour or eggs. Biscocho Haus' butterscotch, however, does. As per the package, Biscocho Haus' butterscotch is made of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and milk. Strictly speaking therefore, I think Biscocho Haus' butterscotch is more like a butterscotch brownie.

My friends, who just got back from a vacation in Iloilo, when I asked them for my pasalubong last Sunday sheepishly answered that they finished their stash of Ilonggo delicacies long before we were able to meet up and not even one butterscotch survived. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I would never have let them hear the end of it if not for the fact that a household member of ours also just got home from there and our box of assorted goodies from Biscocho Haus fortunately survived the trip. The assortment includes a bag of those much coveted butterscotch. Oh, joy! Robin, for his part, loved the otap, which he finished in five minutes on his own. Fortunately for me, he prefers the crunchy kind. So while he staked his claim over the remaining biscocho, toasted mamon, and galletas, I am left to my own devices with the soft and chewy butterscotch. Mine, all mine!