The Joy of Cooking…with Cannabis

Last week we covered the process of decarboxylation, whereby the THC in raw cannabis buds gets activated by heat. We included a basic recipe for making CannaButter, and some tips on testing the potency to determine what constitutes a single serving. You don’t have to be Julia Child or Tommy Chong to make the perfect batch of cannabis treats. Once you understand the basics, cooking at home with cannabis is easy and fun!

One great benefit of ingesting cannabis is that the effects of one dose can last for several hours – but be careful! It can take up to two hours to feel the results of a single dose, and the strength of the dose can vary depending on the bodyweight and tolerance of the patient. You may have heard a cautionary tale that goes “nothing happened, so I decided to eat two more…!” It pays off to experiment with your CannaButter to determine how many teaspoons you need for an effective dose.

Once you determine the right dose, you can use CannaButter in any recipe that calls for butter or oil – it’s that easy! Here are few cannabis recipes to inspire your own culinary creations.

Magic Brownies

Ingredients:

Sugar – 1 cup
Cocoa powder – ¾ cups
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
A pinch of salt
Water – 2 tablespoons
CannaButter – 4 oz, (120 grams, or 24 tsp)
Eggs – 2 large eggs
Flour – ⅓ cup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with butter or cooking spray; set aside.
Melt CannaButter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa until combined and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until the mix is fluffy and light yellow. Add chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.
Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan and the top has an even, shiny crust. Let cool for 20 minutes.
Cut into 12 even pieces. Each serving will contain 2 tsp of CannaButter.

Angel Hair & Herb Pasta

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt to taste
1/4 cup CannaButter (12 tsp)
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/8 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook garlic and herbs: In a medium saucepan, heat the CannaButter on medium heat. Add the sliced garlic, chili pepper flakes, finely chopped herbs, and chopped parsley. Cook for one minute or until the parsley has wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
Cook the pasta: Angel hair cooks in about 2 minutes, so get everything ready! Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook until al dente, then remove and strain. Pour a cup of cool water over the pasta to stop it from cooking further.
Combine pasta and herbs: Place pasta in a large bowl. Pour herbed garlic sauce over the pasta and gently toss to combine. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper over the pasta and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately. Each serving contains 3 tsp of CannaButter.