Magic Shell facts for kids

Magic Shell is a fun and popular dessert topping that starts as a liquid syrup and magically hardens into a solid, crunchy shell when poured over something cold, like ice cream. This unique feature is what gives the product its name. While it's most famous for being used on ice cream, it can be poured on any cold treat.

The product is known by different names around the world. In the United States, it is made by the Smucker’s company. In Australia, it is called Ice Magic and is made by Cottee's. In the United Kingdom, it was sold as Bird's Ice Magic.

History

Magic Shell was originally created in Australia as Ice Magic by a company called Cottee's. A liquid candy topping that hardens into a crunchy shell when applied to frozen desserts was patented in the U.S. in 1978.

Flavors and Varieties

Magic Shell comes in many tasty flavors. The most common ones are:

• Chocolate
• Caramel
• Chocolate Fudge
• Cupcake
• S'mores

There have also been special combination flavors. One called "Turtle Delight" mixed chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Other varieties were based on popular candy bars like Twix, Hershey's, and Reese's. The cherry-flavored Magic Shell was also available for a time but is no longer produced.

The Science Behind the Magic

Have you ever wondered how the liquid syrup turns into a hard shell? It's not magic, it's science! The secret is in the ingredients, specifically coconut oil and sunflower oil.

These oils are high in saturated fat. Fats like these have an interesting property: they are solid at cooler temperatures but turn into a liquid when they warm up. Think of how butter is solid in the fridge but melts in a warm pan.

The Magic Shell syrup is liquid in the bottle at room temperature. But when you pour it onto cold ice cream, the oils cool down very quickly. This rapid cooling causes them to turn back into a solid, creating the crunchy shell that you can crack with your spoon. Sugar is also an important ingredient that helps the mixture harden at the right temperature.

See also

• Bird's Custard
• List of dessert sauces