Although cannabis doesn’t have the worst of reputations, it does get a certain stigma for being an illegal drug. This is why many people are afraid to try or even explore the use of cannabis edibles-fearing they may ‘get in trouble with the law. But fear no more! As this article will explain, making your cannabis edibles is relatively easy and familiar, allowed by law in some states.
How to calculate dosage
First, you will need to figure out how much effect you want the edible to have. Your dosage determines this. The higher the dosage, the stronger the effects. Your first time should be a low dose (5-10 mg), as edibles take longer to kick in than smoking/vaporizing. Feel free to adjust it as desired after you are familiar with your dosage.
To calculate the dosage of an edible, you must first know how much THC is in the cannabis that is being used. This can be found by looking up the strain’s lab results which are usually available online for free on sites like Leafly. Then multiply your total grams by THC percentage to find out how much THC you are dealing with. This must be done for both the cannabis and any added extracts (if using hash/kief, this does not have to be calculated).
You then take this number and divide it by the total amount of ounces used. For example, if one gram of cannabis contains 14% THC and you use 10 grams, your dosage will be 1.4 (14 x 10 = 140), and the number of ounces used is 3 (3 x 28 = 84), so you would divide 1.4 by 84 to give .0157 or 1.57%.
Making butter
Decarboxylating cannabis activates the THC, which can be done by heating it in an oven at 220° F for 25 minutes. Use a ratio of 1g of decarboxylated weed per ounce or 14g/28ml for fresh or 7g/14ml dried. Once you have your desired dosage figured out, place your decarboxylated cannabis in water with butter or fat (coconut oil works well). For every ounce of weed, you use you will need to add 2oz (56g) butter.
Allow this mixture to simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Then strain the plant material out and allow the mixture to simmer again until it is reduced by half. Then you can use an oven or double boiler to heat/melt your infused butter until all the water has evaporated out of the butter, leaving a golden brown oil behind.
Once this is done, you can add any extracts (hash/kief) used to the butter. Then, you need to add it to the amount of baking chocolate and coconut oil (see below) that is being used and follow the rest of those instructions.
Making brownies
If using a box mix, still follow the directions but replace any vegetable oil that is called for with your cannabis-infused oil. If making brownies from scratch, you will need to start with making your cannabis-infused butter-like as described above (at least 4oz. or 114g of fat per ounce of weed).
Then melt ½ cup (4oz/113g) chocolate chips and ¼ cup (2oz/56g) coconut oil together in either a double boiler or oven for brownies made from scratch.
Mix in your cannabis-infused butter once the chocolate and coconut oil is melted until everything is combined. Then you can add any extracts (hash/kief) that are being used to it if using hash/kief instead of weed.
Mix 1 ½ cup (180g) flour, 1 ½ teaspoon (7g) baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon (1g) salt. Mix 2 eggs, 1 cup (340g) sugar, and one teaspoon (5ml or 4g) vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be pour-able but still thick. Pour into a greased pan and cook for 15 minutes at 350° F (176° C). Brownies are done when they are hard to the touch.
Test brownie for dosage before removing from oven, as different brownies can vary in potency. Overdose on edibles is rare but possible. If the overall effect is too intense or unpleasant, try cutting your brownie into smaller pieces and waiting a few hours before consuming more.
Other types of edibles and how to make them
According to FootHill Hemp Farms cannabis tea can be made by decarboxylating the cannabis first, then adding it to boiling water with tea bags or steeped herbs. Flavor can be improved by adding some butter or coconut oil.
Coffee can be infused with cannabis, which is tasty and provides energy-boosting effects due to caffeine. You can use the method above to infuse coconut oil, then add that into your coffee just like you would regular cream or milk.
Other possible recipes for edibles include pesto, pizzas/pasta, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter cookies or other baked goods (such as brownies), oatmeal or hot cereal, chili, chocolate-covered nuts or fruits, granola bars, salad dressings…
To note, although the effects of eating cannabis are different from smoking it (much more substantial and longer-lasting), overdosing is still possible. This can be combated by starting with a minimal amount, waiting 1-2 hours after ingestion to see how you feel before taking more, and only using the highest quality cannabis (i.e., avoid buying off the street).
Several factors come into play when cooking with weed, such as:
- How long to decarboxylate it for.
- How much fat/oil/butter to use.
- How long to simmer for.
- What temperature is best for ingesting?
- How long the edibles will last if they should be kept in the fridge or freezer.
Conclusion
As with any edible, you should always start with a minimal amount of weed and wait at least an hour to see how strong it is before increasing your dosage. Different types of cannabis can have different effects (Sativa, Indica, etc.), so be aware of what is being used and how it will interact with your body.
Never cook with weeds that have been sprayed with chemicals or poisons to kill the bugs, as these can make you sick when ingested, even in small amounts! Keep all edibles out of the reach of children, pets, and anyone who may be negatively affected by them.
Be sure to share edibles with your friends if you make some, as sharing the love is caring. And that’s it! We hope that this article helped you learn how to cook with weed and gave you ideas for other recipes you might like to try out. If there are any questions or feedback about this article, share your thoughts in the comment section.
