Two activities have risen to prominence in a new way during this period of quarantined life: smoking weed and cooking really good food at home. 

And with increased awareness around respiratory health, the two are being combined with renewed gusto. But a redundant regimen of infused chocolate and candy gets old, and not everyone lives down the block from a recreational dispensary. The good news is that you don’t have to shop at a dispensary to enjoy a variety of tasty edibles. And the even better news? You don’t have to spend money on a Magic Butter machine or hours making cannabis butter either.

If you’ve got some flower, creativity, and time to kill, preparing your own homemade edibles could be a matter of minutes away.

Embrace honey sticks 

Of all the food trends and familiar ingredients that unite the disparate edible scenes of legal states, honey sticks are a surprisingly common factor. I’d venture to say there’s at least one brand in every legalized state producing THC-infused honey sticks that look identical to the sticks you enjoyed/dreaded as a kid. Numerous brands make hemp-derived CBD versions, but be sure you review that brand is transparent about lab results for their hemp ingredients. Then get drizzling on baked goods, oatmeal, a charcuterie board, or your afternoon tea.

Get occasionally fancy

For a little more effort and a lot more versatility, make yourself some homemade simple syrup with infused sugar (it’s still super easy). The usual formula is equal parts sugar and hot-to-boiling water (ex: 1/2 cup of each) stirred very well until the sugar is totally dissolved. If you’ve got a half-size Mason jar, it’s the perfect shaker and storage vessel. You can use it right away or let it cool and keep in the fridge for up to one week. It’ll be on hand to elevate any cold brew, sweet tea, cocktail, etc. with just a splash.

Make your own rosin for fresh-baked munchies

If you have a hair straightener, parchment paper, a metal or glass poker, and some flower, you are ready to make your own delicious, potent 10-second hash oil, perfect for making fresh-baked treats like a batch of double-strength chocolate chip cookies.

Step one: First, gently break down a couple decent sized buds and place in a little taco of parchment paper. Set the hair straightener to 200 degrees or the lowest setting if it doesn’t show the exact temperature.

Step two: Carefully place the parchment paper taco inside and apply very firm pressure for about three to seven seconds. Be careful not to burn yourself! If you hear a little sizzle, that’s a good sign.

Step three: Next, pull the parchment paper onto a cool surface to solidify for a second, and then toss the flattened nug and remaining plant material. Now it’s time to grab your collection tool for the painstaking, sticky process of scooping up the goods.

Step four: Prepare your balls of cookie dough on a baking sheet, and top each with a small bit of the finished material from the parchment paper. Bake the cookies per usual and enjoy with caution! These will be stronger than the usual five to 10 mg cookies and it’s recommended to wait at least an hour after eating a second cookie. Those less experienced with using cannabis should start with half a cookie.

Pro tip: If you want a slightly cleaner finished product, use a silkscreen as an extra filter for plant material. Twenty-five to 37 microns if you’re starting with kief or hash, and something larger like 90 microns for bud.

Pro lazy tip: Works the same on a batch of store-bought Toll House dough, too.

Don’t sleep on infused condiments

Brands like Potli exist for lazy gourmands like us. They make hemp-infused complements like chili oil made with the founder’s family recipe ($19 for three mini bottles, 10 mg CBD each) and cold-pressed olive oil ($45) with 15 mg CBD per tablespoon. Simply pick up a baguette and some hummus when this is all over and you’ve got a CBD appetizer ready for your first post-COVID kickback.

Just take another hit and get weird with your current edibles

Are you halfway through an infused chocolate bar? Pop the rest in a glass bowl with a dollop of coconut oil, microwave it for one minute, stir well, then microwave it for another minute-ish, and boom: you’ve got yourself the makings for cannabis-chocolate-covered strawberries or whatever fruit you’ve got lying around. You know that dry, stale pot brownie your neighbor gave you – the one you totally forgot about? Break it up and crumble it over ice cream for an extra special topping. Getting high is in the eye of the beholder, and your options are limitless.

Cooking With Kief

Kief had been accumulating in my grinder for some time. I don’t smoke it and I had no idea what to do with it.

I never considered cooking with kief until an IG friend suggested I try kief cookies.

That’s when I discovered, I’ve been missing out!  Chocolate chip kief cookies are the easiest edible I’ve ever made!

Don’t Have Kief? Try These:

If you don’t have kief, here are 15+ other killer edibles to try. Some require cannabutter or canna-oil. It’s not difficult to make.

If you don’t have a Magical Butter Machine, you need one! It’s so easy to use. See it in action here: Magical Butter Machine Demo

Or make your cannabutter the old fashioned way: How I Make ABV Coconut Oil

Cooking With Kief Tips

• The amount of kief placed in each cookie determines the strength of the cookie.
• Kief is concentrated; it’s much stronger than cannabis flower.
• Orally ingesting cannabis produces stronger effects than smoking or vaporizing – use caution.
• Edibles can take an hour to begin working – wait at least an hour in between doses.
• Effects of edibles last longer than smoking.  Learn more: How long does a weed high last?

How to Make Kief Cookies

Here’s how to make kief cookies, a potent edibles recipe.

Kief cookies are the easiest edible to make and they’re delicious.  The weedy taste is hardly noticeable.

Cooking with kief is a lot easier than using ground cannabis bud.

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Softened Butter
• 1/2 Cup Natural Cane Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1-2 Cups Chocolate Chips
• OPTIONAL – Boost the potency with 3/4 teaspoon of sunflower lecithin

Directions:

• Blend butter and sugars together until fluffy
• Mix in egg and vanilla
• Add flour, salt, baking soda, and sunflower lecithin (optional), mixing until well combined
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes

How to Make Cannabis Snacks

Not everyone has a sweet tooth! If you are looking to make something more savory, but still get high, there is always “potcorn,” weed bacon or even cannabis-infused soup.

To make cannabis popcorn, just replace regular butter with cannabutter and make popcorn the old-fashioned way (in a saucepan rather than the microwave). How to make popcorn edibles fast? Get ¼ cup of cannabutter, ⅔ cups of popcorn kernels, and add some salt to make the best potcorn ever!

Making weed bacon is even easier. Just sprinkle some weed on your slice and bake both sides at 275°F for the perfect “canna-snack.”

Bottom Line  

Is there anything better than eating something you’ve made for yourself? Add getting high to that feeling of pride and you’ve got a winning combination!

The important thing to remember is that there may be countless tips on how to make edibles by yourself, but once you get the basics, feel free to use your imagination. If you make a mistake, just try and try again and eventually you’ll succeed in making some yummy edibles!