Making marijuana edibles at home carries an intimidation factor for those new to the practice, but anyone who’s created infused butter, cooking oil or baked goods knows how easy it really is. For most of us, the challenge is finding enough time and weed to do the job — but even that doesn’t need to be tough.
Personal-sized edibles are just as easy to make as full batches, and in desperate situations, you can do it in a rush with very small amounts of weed. As long as you have infused butter or cooking oil handy — and both of them are very easy to make in small batches — the options are endless. If you don’t, the options are more limited, but you’re not without hope.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
You could always create a fire cracker — a homemade edible made with cannabis flower, peanut butter and graham crackers — but why not have a little taste? Infused peanut butter has become my go-to when traveling. If you’re able to score hash or kief, it’s incredibly easy to make: Just decarboxylate (heating your cannabis or hash to activate the THC) and melt the hash in a bowl inside your oven for ten to fifteen minutes. Then, throw a few scoops of peanut butter inside the bowl, and put it back in the oven at 230 degrees for about ten minutes. Take out the bowl, stir the peanut butter, then put it back in the oven. After another ten to fifteen minutes, take it out, stir one more time, let it cool, and store it in the fridge.
The peanut butter soaks the melted hash right up, is very easy to make in a rush, and won’t draw any attention when you eat it in front of others. If you know the THC potency of your hash, it’s relatively simple to calculate dosage, so you can make it potent enough to get stoned off one scoop or lean enough to make a PB&J.
Mug/Bowl Cakes and Muffins
This is essentially a personal cake that uses infused vegetable oil. Now, you could make it from scratch, like this personal chocolate cake recipe by Marijuana Mommy, and it’ll probably be delicious. But if you’re in a rush, just buy a personal mug cake or muffin mix. Most of them only call for water, but you can always mix oil in there, too. You just mix the batter, water and oil in a mug or bowl, and microwave for less than a minute. They taste more like something cooked in an Easy-Bake Oven than an adult’s, but they get the job done.
Scrambled Eggs
This is for the wake-and-bakers who can’t smoke. Outside of using infused vegetable or olive oils, we’re not telling you how to make scrambled eggs; anyone who doesn’t know how probably shouldn’t be making edibles to begin with. Throw in spinach, peppers or your favorite omelet additions, and add hot sauce to drown out the weed flavor that infused oil can carry.
Baked Chicken
Another “regular” recipe that simply substitutes infused cooking oil for the square variety, baked chicken helps the high stay strong throughout the day without the sugars and fats. Simply pour a tablespoon of the oil over a chicken breast before cooking it in the oven (the THC cooking oil isn’t as effective when cooled on grills and frying pans). I’ll often cook infused chicken breasts for the week and cut them up for a dinner salad (which also has a drizzle of THC olive oil). Do the same with rice or couscous for a fully infused meal.
Directions for Decarboxylating Cannabis for Cannabutter
First thing: you need to decarb your herb. Believe it or not, dried cannabis flower does not actually contain high doses of THC. In order to create the psychoactive, you need to expose your cannabis flower to heat to change the cannabinoid from its precursor form, THC acid. This transformation occurs through a process called decarboxylation. Before making cannabutter, it’s extremely important to decarboxylate your bud sample. This process happens automatically during the smoking of cannabis since you heat the herb with the flame from a lighter. Decarboxylating your herb before you cook is a vital step in the process. If you skip decarboxylation, you will be setting yourself up for a depressing surprise when you find your cannabutter has a weak potency. While the name may sound intimating, decarboxylation is easy. Just heat your herb on a baking sheet before adding it to butter! Here are a few simple directions:
- Line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread your coarsely ground herb evenly over the sheet.
- Bake your sample at 240°F (115°C) for up to ½ an hour, stirring occasionally and checking on your flower. This will both activate your cannabis and give it a roasted, nutty taste.
This same decarboxylation process applies to other types of cannabis as well. For example, it is also best to decarb CBD strains, decarb concentrates, and decarb stems before infusing them into recipes.
Recipe: How to Make Cannabutter Fast
Once you have activated your flower, it’s time to make some butter. While there are several quick and easy ways to make cannabutter, this stove-top Fast Cannabutter method is one of the best for new cannabis chefs:
- Transform your coarsely ground and decarboxylated herb into a finely ground (but not pulverized) material using a food processor or blender.
- Melt the butter on low heat in a medium saucepan.
- Add the finely ground buds to the melted butter a little bit at a time, stirring in between.
- Simmer on a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching and to properly mix the material. While simmering, you should see start to see small bubbles forming on the surface.
Once simmering is complete, take the mixture off of the heat and pour the hot contents through a strainer. Let the cannabutter cool at room temperature before placing it in the fridge for storage. Once strained, you’re ready to cool, store, and cook with your cannabutter! As simple as this recipe sounds, if you want to completely cut down on the hassle and prevent scorching, we recommend the Ardent Nova FX machine, the easiest way to make cannabutter at home.
I leave my butter and oil in the freezer. It is easier to grind them up when they are cold. I also keep them in a dark place. This keeps them fresher. When I use these oils, my edibles will be stronger because there is less plant matter left over.