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5 yummy cannabis desserts that everyone can nail

5 yummy cannabis desserts that everyone can nail

When the meal is over and you’re ready to satisfy your sweet tooth, there’s nothing better than a homemade edible. Best of all, you don’t have to be an expert baker to whip up these recipes. 

Infusing your favorite desserts with cannabis has never been easier. Whether you’re an avid baker or just a cannabis fan who likes dessert, these five recipes will hit the spot.

Tips for baking with cannabis 

  • Read the instructions thoroughly before starting. Baking is a precise science, and you don’t want to be surprised that your eggs or butter need to be at room temperature. 
  • Cannaoil can be substituted for cannabutter in any dessert recipe, but it may change the flavor slightly. 
  • Go slow. Edibles can take up to an hour to kick in, so avoid the temptation to eat another dessert while you wait. 

Common mistakes 

  • Don’t skip decarboxylation. Your edibles won’t deliver the pleasant high experience you’re looking for. 
  • Don’t boil your cannabutter. Keep the mix at a simmer on the stove or you risk boiling off cannabinoids. 
  • Don’t overheat your oil. Oil has a higher smoke point than water, so it can be hard to tell if your oil is getting too hot. Keep the heat low!
  • Don’t forget what you’re eating. Label your edibles clearly so you don’t mistake your cupcakes for regular cupcakes and eat too many. 

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The importance of decarboxylation

Decarboxylation is the not-so-secret ingredient to the best weed desserts you’ve ever had. During the decarb process, the THCa abundant in the raw plant material is converted to THC, the magical cannabinoid that gets you high. 

Decarboxylation is a process and it can be tempting to skip it to save time. But what you save in time, you lose in overall potency and intensity of experience in the edible. You can decarb your weed in advance and store it in an air-tight container in a dark space to make whipping up these desserts a breeze. 

Decarboxylation: How to activate cannabis/THC

How to make cannabutter 

Cannabutter is a staple in weed-infused desserts, and it’s easy to make a home. It takes a few hours and needs the occasional stirring, but it’s not a labor-intensive process. You can make your cannabutter in advance, storing it in an air-tight container for a few weeks in the fridge. 

Ingredients 

  • 7-14 grams of cannabis, decarboxylated and ground 
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • saucepan
  • Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer
  • Air-tight storage container 

Instruction 

  • In the saucepan, combine butter and water and bring mixture to a simmer over low heat.
  • Add cannabis and simmer mixture for approximately three hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
  • Remove saucepan from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. 
  • Once cooled, strain the mix through a cheesecloth into a storage container. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all of the butter. 

How to make cannaoil

While you can buy cannaoil in dispensaries in legal states, it’s easy to make in bulk at home. Coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil are all popular choices that make good canna-oils. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup or around 7-14 grams of ground decarboxylated cannabis 
  • 1 cup of olive oil/ virgin coconut oil/ avocado oil
  • Double-boiler, saucepan, or crockpot
  • Air-tight storage container
  • Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer

Instructions 

There are three main methods of infusing fat with cannabis: saucepan, double boiler, or slow cooker. All methods are straightforward and user-friendly. 

Each of these methods uses decarboxylated cannabis. It is possible to infuse cannabis into oil without decarboxylation at first, but it will take several hours longer. 

Saucepan 
Heat the oil and the decarboxylated cannabis in a saucepan at the right temperature around 130-150°F (55-65°C) for about 1-3 hours. Stir frequently and keep at a low heat to avoid scorching. 

Double boiler
Put water in the bottom pan and then add the oil to the top section, stir in the cannabis and heat on low — 130-150°F (55-65°C) — for about 1-3 hours. 

Slow Cooker
In a slow cooker, combine the cannabis and oil and cook at the same low temperature for around 1-3 hours. 

Whatever your method, when you’re done cooking the oil and cannabis together, let it cool and then strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove the cannabis. Bottle it and store it somewhere far out of reach of children.

How to dose your edibles 

Dosing your homemade edibles can be tricky unless you have industry-standard equipment to test your oils and butter. But by following the golden rule of cannabis consumption (start low and go slow), you reduce the chances of overconsumption and can ride the wave of a pleasant high. 

Though it’s tempting to indulge in “just one more” cupcake or brownie, you won’t be glad you did. In your digestive tract, THC is converted to 11-hydroxy-tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical compound four times stronger than THC. Since edibles can take up to an hour to kick in, it’s easy to reach for another one without considering how hard it will hit you. And it will hit you hard. To avoid a bad time, start with one or even half of these desserts. Once you know how potent your edibles are, you can adjust the serving size from there. 

With cannabis-infused desserts, it’s crucial to keep them labeled and stored well out of the reach of children and pets. The lure of sugar can be hard to resist, but kids and pets won’t react well to the THC. To avoid a trip to the ER or emergency vet, keep your edibles far out of the reach of curious hands and noses. 

These are our picks for the five best weed desserts:

Weed Brownies 

Weed brownies
Brownies on a plate (margouillat/123rf)

Difficulty: Easy

Brownies are a classic edible, easy to make at home and perfect for sharing with friends. This recipe makes brownies-from-scratch simple (though you can always use a box mix with cannaoil if you’re short on time.) 

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13 baking pan (or line with parchment paper.)
  • Melt both butters together and mix in the chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. 
  • In the same pan, mix in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy then whisk in the vanilla.
  • Pour the chocolate mix into the egg mix, whisking to combine. 
  • Slowly whisk in the flour. 
  • Pour the batter into a pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Slice and serve! 

Red velvet weed cupcakes 

THC infused cupcakes are a great idea any day of the week and arguably could be part of any balanced diet, right there leaning on the side of the food pyramid.

Difficulty: Medium 

While cupcakes may not be the first dessert that comes to mind when you think of edibles, these red velvet cupcakes will take the crown as your new favorite dessert. Rich, creamy, and indulgent, you may want to make a batch of regular cupcakes just to have another one! 

Cupcake Ingredients

Frosting Ingredients 

Cupcake instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
  • Beat the sugar and butter together for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating each until fully incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt through a sifter.
  • In a third bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. 
  • In the bowl with the buttermilk mix, add ¼ of the dry ingredients and ⅓ of the wet mix and stir gently. Continue adding the dry and wet mixes in this order until everything is combined. Stir gently and don’t overmix. 
  • Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about halfway.
  • Bake for 18 – 22 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool.

Frosting instructions 

  • Beat the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
  • Add the powdered sugar to taste. 
  • Frost the cupcakes once cooled and enjoy! 

Peanut butter weed cookies

Difficulty: Easy 

Peanut butter cookies are a perfect edibles recipe if you’re not an avid baker. Easy to make with a simple baking technique, you’ll have a tasty treat that gets you high in no time. 

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a baking sheet (or line with parchment paper.)
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  • Separate the dough into small balls, place them on a baking sheet and flatten with a fork. Press the fork in opposite directions for the classic peanut butter cookie pattern.
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Remove and cool before enjoying.

Baked (in more than one way) cheesecake

Caramel cheesecake
Did you know with just one simple tweak you can make your cheesecake into a weed cheesecake? (Shutterstock)

Difficulty: Medium 

Who doesn’t love cheesecake? The creamy sweet filling lends well to any topping you can imagine, from chocolate or peanut butter drizzle to fruit compotes. In this recipe, the THC is in the crust, so don’t skip the good stuff!

Crust Ingredients 

Filling Ingredients 

  • 32 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 
  • 1 ⅛ cups granulated sugar 
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch 
  • 4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature 
  • ½ cup heavy cream 
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract 
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest 

Crust Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and wrap a 9-in springform pan in foil or parchment paper.
  • Melt the butters and combine with graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Press into an even layer in the pan and bake for 8-9 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Cheesecake Instructions

  • Turn oven up to 425 F. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in sugar and beat until combined.
  • Add in the cornstarch and eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add the cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat together. Pour into the pie crust. 
  • Bake for 10 minutes and lower the oven temp to 225 F. Bake for another 60 minutes until the sides are set and the center is wobbly. 
  • Don’t remove it yet! Turn the oven off and leave the cake in for 60 minutes. 
  • Remove, cool at room temperature, and refrigerate for 12 hours. 

Space cake 

Frosted chocolate space cake with cannabis
Space cake may not for everybody, but it does produce a unique, potent, full-body high that tends to leave a giant grin on your face like a kid who just got the biggest piece of birthday cake and doesn’t need to share. (Shutterstock)

Difficulty: Medium 

A space cake is an Amsterdam delicacy, combining the richness of chocolate cake with the delightfulness of an edible. This recipe doesn’t include frosting, leaving the decoration method up to you. (Pre-made icing, whipped cream, ice cream- the possibilities are endless!)

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease two 8-in cake pans with butter. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and dust with cocoa powder. 
  • Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 
  • Use an electric mixer on low to combine the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and hot water. Beat for 2 minutes or until smooth. Combine the wet and dry mixes.
  • Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 45-55 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
  • Cool on wire racks for 20-30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cook the opposite side up. 
  • Optional: cut the top off of one cake and frost liberally. Or top with whipped cream, hot fudge, or ice cream. 
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