Chocolate and caramel are pretty much the perfect flavor combination. (Sorry, chocolate and peanut butter, but I'm going there.) So it makes perfect sense that M&Ms is coming out with a caramel variety, which will hit shelves in May 2017. But what took so long in the first place?

Caramel M&Mpinterest
Mars

According to CNNMoney, it's complicated. The process took years to perfect, because the "lentil" inside each M&M candy had never been filled with such a soft center. Engineers had to figure out how to keep the chocolate at the right consistency so it wouldn't melt or collapse. Mars, the parent company of M&Ms, even spent millions on a brand new plant in Topeka, KS for the caramel candies. That process will take time, which is why the candies won't go on sale until the spring.

The team behind M&Ms, which turned 75 this year, says it's one of the biggest launches in its history. Caramel will be a permanent addition to the M&Ms lineup, not a limited-edition flavor. The candies are slightly larger than the original milk chocolate variety, and have a soft and chewy consistency inside the hard candy shell. You're going to love these, but your dentist not be too happy about them.

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