Cooking with cannabis: 8 ideas for delicious dishes

Brownies and space cakes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cooking with marijuana. These days, the herb can be incorporated into many of your favorite dishes – from salads to appetizers, pasta dishes to ice cream.

We warn you not to overindulge in our delicious culinary creations, or you may experience more powerful effects than you expect.

“The effects of ingesting cannabis are much more intense and long-lasting than those of smoking,” says Elise McDonough , author of The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook . “After eating cannabis-infused food, the effects may not appear until a few hours later, so it's important to take it slow and not overeat.”

Of course, cooking with Marijuana should only be done if you can purchase the drug legally. In the United States, weed is currently only legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington state, and you must be over 21 to buy it. Medical marijuana is legal in 20 states, for those who qualify .

After speaking with numerous chefs and marijuana experts, we have compiled a summary of eight of the best recipes containing marijuana as an ingredient. Read on for details on these tasty treats.

Simple Cannabis Butter

Cannabis butter, or cannabutter , is an essential ingredient in many marijuana recipes, and can be used in place of regular butter or oil. You can sprinkle it on freshly made pasta, on popcorn, or store it in the fridge or freezer to use in other recipes.

Recipe courtesy: The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times Magazine.

Serving Size : ½ cup

Ingredients

• ½ cup salted butter*
• 7g cannabis flowers, finely chopped

*To make cannamargarine, simply substitute margarine for butter in this recipe.

Method

1. Melt the butter at low temperature in a pan. Add the chopped flowers and leave to cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Strain the butter into an airtight container. To make sure you get every drop of butter available, press the back of a spoon onto the plant debris against the strainer. When you're done, throw away the residue.
3. Use your cannabutter right away or place it in the fridge or freezer until it's time to use it. You can easily tweak this recipe to make more, keeping in mind that 450g of butter can absorb 28g of cannabis, but you'll need to simmer it for up to 60 minutes.

Kale Salad with Dark Cannabutter Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy: The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times Magazine.

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

Salad:

• 450g of black cabbage

• ½ cup flaked almonds

Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup cannabutter
• 1/3 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
• Salt (1 or 2 pinches)

Method

1. Wash the cabbage and remove the central part; cut it into pieces.
2. Toast the almonds in a nonstick pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally until you can smell the almonds, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. To make the vinaigrette, melt the butter in a small skillet over high heat until darkened; then add the cannabutter until it has melted. Remove from heat. Add the vinegar and season with a pinch or two of salt.
4. Season the cabbage with 4 to 6 tablespoons of sauce, mix with the almonds, and serve warm.

Pineapple Express Upside-Down Cake

Recipe courtesy: The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times Magazine.

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 6 or 7 dried canned pineapple slices
• 12 tablespoons of cannabutter at room temperature
• 2 cups crystallized sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 full tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ tablespoon dark rum
• 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 6 or 7 maraschino cherries

Method

1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
2. Grease a round cake pan of approximately 20cm. Place the pineapple slices on the bottom so that they touch each other, but without overlapping.
3. In a small skillet, over medium heat, add 6 tablespoons of cannabutter with ½ cup of crystallized sugar and ½ cup of brown sugar. While the butter melts, stir to combine the ingredients, then spread the pineapple slices on top. Set aside.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, rum, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and vanilla. Set aside.
6. With an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons cannabutter for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar and continue mixing on medium speed, until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mix in three batches, alternating with the milk mix, until everything is well mixed and smooth.
7. Pour the mixture into the pan, distributed evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (50 to 55 minutes). Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
8. Lightly tap the pan to loosen the cake, run a knife around the edge, then invert the pan onto a plate so the pineapple slices are on top. Let it cool for another 45 minutes before eating.

Grandma's Cannabis Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy: The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times Magazine.

Ingredients

• ½ cup cold cannabutter plus 1 tablespoon melted cannabutter
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 4 cups of milk
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 450g penne, cooked
• 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup shredded American or Emmental cheese
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the cannabutter and regular butter over medium heat. Add the flour and beat well for 3-5 minutes, while the mixture cooks.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over high heat.
4. Slowly add the warm milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring to combine well. Add the salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat, mix with cooked penne and cheeses, leaving ¼ cup Parmesan to add later.
5. Pour the penne onto a greased baking tray. Add the remaining parmesan breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon melted cannabutter and spread over the penne. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until a golden crust has formed.

Chocolate and Marijuana Biscuits

Recipe courtesy: TheCannabisChef.com

Serving: 10-15 biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 generous cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 170g of cannabutter
• 28g of regular butter
• 2/4 cup sugar
• 1 large cup brown sugar (uncompacted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cups chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Whisk together cannabutter, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time.
5. Slowly add the flour mix, then the chocolate chips.
6. Bake in the oven for 9-11 minutes.

Banana and Marijuana Ice Cream

Recipe courtesy: Chris Scully, owner of Vaped.ca

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• ¼ stick of butter
• 10g of finely chopped Marijuana
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 500g of cream
• A pinch of salt
• 425g of bananas
• 3 tablespoons of rum
• 5 tablespoons of honey

Steps

1. Heat the cream in a pan until it is about to boil. Add Marijuana.
2. Melt the butter with the sugar and a pinch of salt in a second pan.
3. Pour the cream into the mixture with the butter and beat.
4. Peel the bananas and mash them in a large bowl. Add the cream and butter mix, the rum and the honey.
5. Mix the mixture well.
6. Pour the mixture into a plastic container, cover and leave in the freezer for 3 hours.
7. Place the mixture in a cool bowl, whisk, cover with cling film and place in the freezer until solid.
8. Place in the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Simple Marijuana Olive Oil

Recipe courtesy: The Ganja Kitchen Revolution by Jessica Catalano.

Servings: 8, 28g each

Ingredients

• 8 portions of cannabis of a strain of your choice measured and chopped
• 230g of olive oil

Method

1. Determine the strain of Cannabis you are using and the appropriate dosage by referring to the dosage chart, then set your flowers aside in a bowl.
2. Place the olive oil and ground cannabis in a pan over the lowest possible heat. Make sure to mix the ground cannabis well so that it is completely covered by the oil.
3. Cook the mixture on the lowest heat possible for 1 hour, then remove from the heat and strain through a sieve or tea towel into a measuring cup.
4. After the oil has completely cooled, pour it into a sterilized glass bottle, then close the cap tightly.
5. Store your cannabis-infused olive oil in the fridge for up to a month.

Note: As a precaution, Cannabis should never have any traces of wet contents inside it. Any amount of water, no matter how little, will create the right environment in the oil to grow bacteria and create toxins like botulism. Make sure the cannabis is completely dry before making the infusion. If at any time the bottle starts to cloud, throw it away immediately, as this means that sources of contamination have taken root.

Super Lemon Haze Mexican Guacamole

Recipe courtesy: The Ganja Kitchen Revolution by Jessica Catalano.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 Haas avocados

• 1 white sweet onion
• 2 small heads of garlic
• 1 small cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 lime
• 28g of Marijuana olive oil
• 1 level teaspoon of paprika
• 1 level teaspoon of chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Method

1. Peel and pit the avocados, then mash them in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Dice the onion, cherry tomatoes and garlic, then add them to the bowl.
3. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the mixture.
4. Add the olive oil, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, and sea salt.
5. Stir until the ingredients are well mixed and check to see if you need to season additionally with salt and pepper.
6. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.