In snapshot 14w17a, there is a problem in single player where any item that I mine or destroy does not drop as an entity. Instead, it reappears as a block in its original position. The item will keep reappearing and does not disappear until I exit the game. Upon reloading the game, the block is gone but there is no entity.
You most likely have the "doTileDrops" gamerule to false, or you are in an area on a server which prohibits you from destroying a block.