Do you grab a handful of Clif Shot Bloks as you run out the door for your run or hike?Today we’re featuring a recipe for making your own homemade energy gel blocks! These gel blocks contain energy and electrolytes in every chew! (Gluten free, dairy free version, egg free, nut free, soy free, vegan version, FODMAP)
DO YOU CARRY A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH RUNNING? I'VE GOT TIPS!!
Making Copycat Clif Shot Bloks
For this recipe you will need:
- Silicone Square Candy Molds
- Sugar
- Unflavored Gelatin
- Flavored Gelatin
- Energy Drink or Electrolyte Drink
- Coconut Oil
Preparing
In a saucepan you will bring the sugar, gelatin and electrolyte or energy drink to a boil then allow it to boil for one minute. Remove it from the heat, scoop off any of the foam on the top of the mixture, then pour the mixture into your silicone molds. Fill the molds almost to the top. Place your mixture in the refrigerator for several hours, uncovered. (Place in the refrigerator for about three hours).
After the three hours have passed, remove the gummies from the mold and place and cover them with parchment paper. Allow them to dry at room temperature (under 80 degrees) for three days. Lightly brush them with melted coconut oil once to twice a day during that time, making sure to wipe off any excess.
After three days, place the gummies in the fridge again for three hours, then remove and store the blocks in an airtight container in a cool, dark area.
How Long Do Gel Shots Last?
They will last up to a few months if stored at room temperature.
LET'S MAKE SOME PROTEIN ENERGY BITES THAT WON'T MELT!
Do They Melt?
I tried hard. I looked at different websites and read tips. It seems like this method will yield the best results for the energy blok that will be least likely to melt at higher temperatures but I found they started to melt at about 85 degrees.
What is Coconut Oil Used For?
Storebought gummies or energy blocks usually contains wax. This wax goes on the outside of the gummy or energy block to further help it not melt or stick to the other blocks. You can use wax if you would like, but coconut oil seems to work well too and is more readily available.
Does This Recipe Contain A Lot of Prep Work?
If you add up the few minutes here and there that you have to prep over the three days, no it really isn't a lot of work. It takes just a couple of minutes to make up the initial batch of energy bloks and then you really just forget about it. The coconut oil part is probably the most time consuming but I just do it once a day while dinner is cooking or the kids are doing homework.
Are These Cheaper to Make?
The cost to make these is way less than what I can buy. I make them up every couple months and it makes a lot more.
Frequently Asked Questions:
My Gummies Didn't Set Up!
There might be a few different reasons for this:
- Did you allow the mixture to boil for one minute and remove any foam off the top prior to pouring it in the molds?
- Did you use sugar free products? Certain sugar free products don’t set up well with gelatin.
- Did you use pineapple? Pineapple juice doesn’t tend to set up well with gelatin. You can read more about that here.
- Was it stored at room temperature?
Can I Make These Vegan?
Yes!
Substitute one packet of plant based jello. Use one packet of pectin in place of the one packet of gelatin. And make sure you use a plant based energy or electrolyte drink. By using jello you will also make them dairy free too!
Copycat Clif Shot Bloks
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pkg (3 oz) jello packet
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin or pectin (for vegan)
- ⅔ cup energy drink and/or electrolyte drink
Instructions
- In a saucepan you will bring the sugar, gelatin and electrolyte or energy drink to a boil and allow it to boil for one minute. Remove it from the heat, scoop off any foam on the top of the mixture, then pour the mixture into your lightly greased silicone molds. Fill the molds almost to the top. Place your mixture in the refrigerator for several hours, uncovered. (Place in the refrigerator for about three hours). After the three hours have passed, remove the gummies from the mold and place and cover them with parchment paper. Allow them to dry at room temperature (under 80 degrees) for three days. Lightly brush them with melted coconut oil once to twice a day during that time, making sure to wipe off any excess. After three days, place the gummies in the fridge again for three hours, then remove and store the blocks in an airtight container in a cool, dark area.
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Becky Woodrow
I made a batch, but they came out like a jello, I would like them to be a bit firmer. Would adding a second packet of gelatin work to make them firmer? And can these be frozen?
burntapple
Yes, I would add a second packet of gelatin for sure. I don't think jello freezes well. I looked into it and this is some information I found on freezing jello. https://easyfreezing.com/can-you-freeze-jello/ Let me know how it turns out this time!
Jaye
Making these in Australia. Thinking our gelatin packets (10g) are much smaller here as the recipe is rather sticky. Can you please confirm how many grams you use for this recipe?
burntapple
Yes, sorry. I just looked it up on a gelatin conversion chart and it says that for every 1 oz of gelatin that is 28.5 grams of gelatin. So the three ounces of jello would be about 85 grams of dry jello. A packet of gelatin is about .25 ounces so it would be about 7 grams of plain gelatin. Hope that helps, thanks for reaching out! This is the conversion site that I used if you need: https://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/cooking/gelatin/convert-ounce-oz-of-gelatin-to-gram-g-of-gelatine.html
Caroline
Your recipe calls for "protein" in the instructions, but I don't see the protein in the ingredients list. What do you mean by this? Also, do you intend for us to use BOTH jello AND gelatin/pectin? If so, what actual quantities of each (jello, gelatin, pectin)? Thanks so much for offering this recipe!
Caroline
Oh: I see that you posted the quantities of jello and gelatin. Could you add the quantities of pectin - dry and liquid? I look forward to making this, and will post results of my experimentation here.
burntapple
Hi! You're keeping me on my toes! Thank you! I looked into it and changed the recipe to omit the protein. I think I was thinking pectin. The pectin amount used would be the same as the gelatin in grams mentioned. Just note that gelatin and pectin typically yield different results. Pectin typically sets up more firm. Yes, you need to use jello (flavored) and gelatin/pectin (unflavored). Hope that helps!
Eli Vandenberg
I haven't tried making this recipe yet but will in the near future for track meets. Is Gatorade a good electrolyte drink to use for this recipe?
Eli Vandenberg
Will Gatorade work for an electrolyte drink? And is coconut oil required for these?
burntapple
I haven't tried Gatorade but let me know how it works! Coconut oil isn't required, but it will give the more solid outer waxy like coating Clif Shot Bloks use. if using them for a track meet I would still suggest storing them out of the heat. I've even had my clif shot bloks get gross and gooey on me. for all day or meets I would suggest storing them in a cool dry cooler. I've had people come and grab however many they need before or after their runs. Let me know how it goes!