The GreatShot Block Experiment

Remember my box of ShotBloks? I've been debating what to do with them. Some of them will go with me on my relay next week. The rest? The corner of WalMart is still an option. I was pondering on them the other day and I was struck by lightening, by a car, by a 10 year old on a bicycle inspiration. What if I used the ShotBloks as an ingredient in making something else? I ran this idea by the household committee and got mixed responses ranging from rolling eyes, shaking head, laughing hysterically or just a "you're weird" comment. I felt this was a definite go ahead response.

Thus is born The Great ShotBloks Experiment.

Here's how the
ShotBloks look like in the wild.

The Plan:
Utilizing a package of ShotBloks, I will create various creations. Currently, my ideas tend to the edible kind, but I am open to the idea of some sort of commercial use.

1. Suckers
2. Home made granola bar with cut up ShotBloks added
3. A surprise filling to cupcakes or brownies
4. Pancake syrup
5. Added to chocolate for a glaze over something.
6. Use ShotBlocks instead of Chocolate Chips

Thick goopy mess

I'm rather excited about this idea. Who knows, maybe I'll get some sponsorships out of this.

For My First Act
For those of you who haven't tried these, they are rather chewy like a gummy bear. This morning as I fixed breakfast I wondered how long it would take a ShotBlock to melt in the microwave. It takes about 7-8 seconds for it to melt and start boiling. After it had cooled a little I was able to pry it out of the bowl and taste it. The edges had gotten crisp, while the center still was chewy. This fueled the inspiration. Could I get the Shotbloks to melt and keep it in a syrup form. I used my 7th grade Home Ec knowledge to work and added a little water to my next ShotBloks. It took two 5 second bursts and a 7 second burst to completely dissolve the ShotBloks. 2 additional squares later and I had a thick syrup.

Sucker and triangle shape

I don't have any sucker molds so I dug through the cookie cutters to find something that would hold the syrup. Voila! I came across a triangle shaped object. I think it is actually part of a pumpkin carving kit. Perfect. Once I had poured it into the shape I then created a semi-round circle just on the wax paper and added a couple toothpicks.

It was so tasty my girls were
fighting over it. Who can resist a nice
chewy sucker. 

I let them cool for a period of time and then stuck them in the freezer. They are really sticky and they stuck to the wax paper. With a little work, I was able to pry them away from the wax paper.

Conclusion:
ShotBloks have a high sugar content and melt well. I think this is a great beginning. Stay tuned.