There are so many different ways to participate in 4/20, ranging from smoking your favorite bud, hitting a dab pen, using topicals, tinctures or sprays and my personal favorite: edibles.
When it comes to edibles, there are so many different kinds to choose from, the options are truly endless. For this upcoming 4/20 I wanted to challenge myself to create my own edibles, and combine my passion for cooking with my interest in cannabis. I researched easy ways to bake your own canna-butter and canna-oil that can be infused however you want.
Treat yourself with some infused baked goods like brownies or cookies, or go a more subtle route and make some infused salad dressing or a flavorful grilled cheese sandwich to give your dish an extra kick. The possibilities are infinite.
The first step, and the most important one, is the method of decarboxylating your weed. Decarboxylation is the process that marijuana goes through to convert THC-A into THC which allows you to get high.
Decarboxylation:
- Set your oven between 240-248 degrees. These are the temperatures that decarboxylation occurs at.
- Grind your cannabis into smaller pieces and lay out on a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook your cannabis in the oven for 30-40 minutes, making sure to stir your cannabis every 5 minutes. This will ensure that everything cooks evenly.
- Remove from the oven and set aside your cannabis in an airtight container. Your cannabis should have a slightly darker color to it.
Canna-oil:
Ingredients:
- 3.5 grams of marijuana
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1 Mason jar (or any airtight container)
- Cheesecloth
Instructions:
- Once your cannabis has gone through the decarbing process, you can combine it with your olive oil and begin the infusing process in 2 different ways.
- Cook your olive oil and cannabis in a slow-cooker/crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
- Combine your oil and cannabis in a saucepan and cook on low heat for about 3 hours, stirring regularly. It is recommended to add a small amount of water to your saucepan to prevent the oil from burning.
- When the infusing has finished, pour your mixture over cheesecloth into your Mason jar to strain out all of the cannabis. Let your oil strain for about 10 minutes to make sure you maximize your yield.
- Discard spent cannabis and cheesecloth.
- Keep your oil at room temp and get your bake on!
Canna-butter:
Ingredients:
- 3.5 grams of cannabis
- 1 cup of butter
- 1 Mason jar (or any airtight container)
- Cheesecloth
Instructions:
- After you’ve finished decarbing your weed, melt 1 cup of butter in a saucepan over the lowest heat. Once your butter has melted, add ½ a cup of water. This will help cook everything more evenly.
- Stir in your cannabis and cover your pot with a lid. Let your mixture simmer for about 3 hours, stirring regularly.
- You can also use a crockpot or slow-cooker as an alternative by combining your butter, water and cannabis all at once and setting the temperature to low. Let this cook for 3 hours.
- After the 3 hours is finished, strain out the spent weed into an airtight container or jar using cheesecloth. Once you’ve finished straining, you can discard your cheesecloth and weed.
- Let your mixture sit for about 30 minutes, giving it plenty of time to cool before putting it in the fridge. Your butter will solidify on the top of your mixture, and you may have some excess water below which you can easily drain.
- Store your butter in the fridge and get your bake on!
Tips and Tricks:
Always cook your butter and oil at a low temperature to avoid burning off any cannabinoids. Additionally, it’s important to store your butter and oil in an airtight container, which will also help with the longevity of your edibles.
To help with straining, I found it super helpful to make a large bowl in the opening of my Mason jar with the cheesecloth, instead of pulling it taut. Tie a rubber band around the Mason jar and cheesecloth to hold the cheesecloth in place while you pour in the mixture for straining. This will prevent any potential spills during the straining process.
