The Great Shot Blok Experiment: Granola Bars

What better gift than a homemade one? My mother always told me that it was the "thought" that counts not how well it looked or tasted. I think that was her kind way of saying that I should never go into a food related field of study.

My Shot Blok Experiments would probably fall under that category in her mind, but as a runner I consider it a worthy challenge. Besides, what else would I be doing during the winter...?

Homemade Granola Bars (Take 2)
I say take two because I attempted these before with a "chewy" granola bar recipe. I followed the recipe meticulously, yet they could have chiseled down used as shrapnel.

I did another search and came across yet another "chewy" granola bar recipe. The author of this recipe raved about the "chewiness" of this recipe and how they were the "favorite" in her family. I took this as a hopeful sign.

In one bowl I measured out my ingredients.

On a separate cutting board I took out several Shot Bloks.

Interesting note. Shot bloks are much easier to cut into small pieces when they are fresh out of the package. I had a few that had been in a half-opened package that were very hard. 

Also, the recipe called for mixed nuts, chocolate chips and dried fruit. The Shot Bloks became the dried fruit (Crann-Razz flavor). I was out of nuts of any kind except for some Jerk flavored peanuts. I stuck them in a strainer and rinsed them until the water ran clear in an effort to eliminate the Jerk Flavor. They only had a small aftertaste left...I figure that was ok.

I scattered the Shot Bloks throughout the mix and mixed all the ingredients together paying special note to get the Shot Bloks coated so they wouldn't clump together.

After mixing all the dry ingredients, I added Peanut Butter, Corn Syrup and a little water. Then I pressed the mixture into a well-greased baking pan.

The finished result after cooling was this. The dark bits in the granola bar are a combination of chocolate chips and Shot Bloks. The final test came after allowing them to cool. Would I be scheduling a dentist appointment or offering them out to my friends at races? 

My children were noticeably absent when they saw me pull out the Shot Bloks. I guess they have had enough with being the first to taste them.

The Jerk seasoning combined with peanut butter offers an interesting flavor combination. Probably not something I would recommend. The Shot Bloks are still chewy and compliments the chocolate chips that are scattered throughout.

They texture is significantly more chewy that previous efforts, but they do harden up when refrigerated.

I'm going to call this latest experiment a success.