COOKING WITH CANNABIS

It’s that time of year again! The air is crisp, the holiday décor is out, and the smell of baked goods lines the air with its seasonal magic! What better treats to go with treats than some tokes!? We’ve cooked up something special for you and yours this holiday and we’re bringing you some helpful tips and tricks in the kitchen for cooking with cannabis!

When it comes to our holiday feasts, it’s all about decisions, decisions, decisions! We’re hoping that we can help you narrow those down and find something that every stoner in your life can enjoy! We’ll be giving you some suggestions for which strains would be best to cook with, the types of medicated options you can use in your recipes, AND our suggestions for what to bring to that table! Whether you’re a new cook or an iron chef, these recipes, tips, and suggestions are sure to elevate your cuisine to the clouds!

Unlock the Cannabis Home Chef Within

To start, let’s talk terpenes! If you’re sitting there thinking, “Terpenes?? What are those? I thought we just chose our favorite herb and got to cooking!” You would be right.. BUT, why not take those Top Ramen Chef skills to the next level and learn about pairing some great bud with some great grub! We do it with wine, so it’s only right we do it with the other four-letter, “w” word!

In short, terpenes are compounds naturally found in plants that give them their aromatic profiles and health benefits. Think of oranges, flowers, pine trees, anything that gives off a distinct scent and could possibly boost your mood, immunity, and so on. Cannabis contains a significantly higher concentration of said terpenes which attribute to the benefits many users experience from patients to recreational enjoyers alike! 

As long as you’re using fresh, quality flower, you can make tasty dishes and desserts with any of your favorite strains. However, we’ve found that some strains go better with certain dishes than others. Strains with a lot of limonene terpenes will compliment citrus dishes for example, whereas strains with more caryophyllene tend to go better with savory dishes. There are so many good cooking and baking strains out there, but we’re going to narrow it down to our must-try favorites!

Favorite Strains for Edibles with Baking:

Pink Kush

This strain’s terpene profile has notes of vanilla, candy, and sweet fruit, this strain will enhance the flavor of any dessert. It has a very slight bitterness that goes well with dark chocolate in particular. Indica-dominant, this strain has a THC content of around 20% and CBD content of around 1%.

White Widow

A favorite among cannabis culinarians, this strain’s terpene profile has notes of peachy, spicey, slightly-skunky flavors that fit well with any traditional dessert. White Widow has a good flavor, but the strain is a popular fan favorite for the relaxing effect that it gives. This balanced hybrid has a THC of around 20% and about 1% CBD.

Jack Herer

With terpenes made up of fresh, bitter, spicy aromas, this earthy strain is perfect for your more savory baked goods. Pot pies and pizzas. Breads and biscuits. With this strain’s terpene profile, you can basically add this to anything that uses rosemary. This Sativa-dominant strain has a THC of about 18% and a CBD of around 1%.

Favorite Strains for Cannabis Cooking:

Lemon Riot

Practically overflowing with limonene terpenes, this strain goes well with any meals that you could typically justify using lemon zest in. Which, if you’re me, is all of the meals. Sativa dominant, the strain hovers around 19% THC with little to no CBD.

OG Kush

Packed with caryophyllene terpenes, this strain is well known for going well with savory dishes. From meats to pastas to mac and cheese, the Original Gangster of kush strains adds a bit of earthy spice to anything. It depends on who you ask, but the strain typically tests as slightly Sativa dominant with a THC% in the mid-20s and little to no CBD.

Garlic Cookies (GMO Cookies)

Garlic Cookies tastes like, you guessed it, garlic mixed with cookies. Trust me, it is better than it sounds! This strain is usable with any garlic dishes (which, again, is all dishes if you are me). This Indica dominant strain hovers around 23% THC and 0.8% CBD.

Easiest Strains to Cook or Bake With:

Before we start, you may notice that all of our easy-to-use strains are fruity/berry-y strains. This is because their flavors are very pleasing by default, making them kind of hard to mess up when it comes to cooking and baking.

Strawberry Cream

A hybrid of Strawberry and Cookies and Cream, this strain goes well with anything that could use a bit of strawberry flavor. Brownies, ice cream, salad, pork tenderloin (try it before you knock it), you name it. The strain has a THC of around 21% and little to no CBD.

Blueberry

Winner of the High Times’ Cannabis Cup 2000 for Best Indica, this aptly-named strain goes well with anything that could use some sweet blueberry flavor. The strain is Indica-Dominant with around 17% THC and 1% CBD.

Mango Haze

A hybrid between Northern Lights #5, Skunk, and Haze, this strain gives a little mango-kick to your favorite cuisines. Mango Haze is Sativa-dominant with a THC of about 20% and little to no CBD.

Now that we’ve gotten some of our strain recommendations out of the way, Let’s talk cannabutter! We’ve covered this in our previous blog found here:

Learn How to Make Cannabutter at Home

If you’re looking for a more versatile option for infusions, we would recommend making a nice cannaoil using any fatty oils such as Avacado oil, Olive Oil, or (our personal favorite) Coconut Oil! Any recipes online should do the trick, and there are many options for how to get your butter or oil infusions, so find the recipe that works best for you!

Our General tips and points of advice would be:

1. You’ll want to grind your herb to make nice chunks, but not as finely ground as shake. This allows for the decarboxylation of the herb to be evenly distributed, but not so ground to where it won’t be able to be strained.
2. Cheese cloths for straining are key! It is the smallest type of strainer that can be used, as well as you can get the most of your yield by squeezing these mixtures to get every last drop of your infusion.
3. This is a long, tedious process and you’ll need to adjust your temperatures throughout it. We recommend setting timers about every hour to check on your infusions, to ensure they don’t reach boiling points. You always want your infusions on a nice, steady simmer. 
4. Your place will smell! As we know, smoking herb can leave a nice smell on you for a period of time. Cooking such will do the same. 
5. Be sure to dose moderately! You can always add more “spice” if you need it, but you can never take away that spice once you’ve enjoyed it! We recommend adding a few tablespoons of your infusions alongside the normal servings of butter or oil your recipes call for! 

Last, but certainly not least, ‘Which’ foods should you try with your infusions this season!! The list can go on and on, but we have some suggestions based on the strains we provided.

What to Cook with Cannabutter

Pot Pie

Any Pot Pie recipe will do based on your cravings, but try to pair it up with something nice like Jack Herer or GMO Cookies! You’ll be sure to be in a nice little food coma sooner than you think!

Butter Herb Chicken

Who doesn’t like a good bird on the holidays? Alongside your normal herbs and spices, don’t forget to add some GMO Cookies, OG Kush, or if you’re feeling like adding a little citrus-y kick to things, Lemon Riot!

Sugar Cookies

Cookies are a must have this time of year, and nothing goes better with sweets that some strains that will amp up the feel-good sensation of a treat! Any sugar cookie will do, but adding some Pink Kush, Strawberry Cream, or Blueberry will turn these medicated morsels into your go-to comfort food!

Peppermint Chocolate Bark

This one is a little on the fancier side of making treats, but nothing a little elbow grease and determination can’t fix! We recommend using an infused oil for a recipe that calls for said oil, but having the minty, crunchy, and rich experience of some Holiday Bark is well worth the work! White Widow, Strawberry Cream, or Pink Kush would be perfect for this treat!

Infused Strawberry Hot Chocolate Bombs

If you’re looking to get Ultra-Fancy this year, Hot Chocolate Bombs are not only delicious, but they’re entertaining to eat and a wonderful experience to enjoy! We’d specifically use a Coconut Oil infusion with the White Widow, Pink Kush, or Strawberry Cream.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg for our recommendations, but we hope you enjoy them and even get more creative! Whatever you decide to indulge in this season, we hope you do so responsibly, and tag us on our socials to show off the fun holiday treats you’ve come up with! 

As always, Happy Seshing and Best wishes to you all!