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

We warn you not to overdo 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 foods, the effects may not kick in for several hours, so it’s important to go slowly and not overeat.”

Of course, cooking with marijuana should only be done if you can legally purchase the drug. In the United States, weed is currently only legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington state, and you must be over 21 to purchase 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 that feature marijuana as an ingredient. Read on for details on these tasty delights.

Simple Cannabis Butter

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

Recipe courtesy of: 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 butter for margarine in this recipe.

Procedure

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a pan. Add the chopped flowers and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Strain the butter into an airtight container. To ensure you get every drop of butter available, press the back of a spoon against the plant residue against the strainer. When you are finished, discard the residue.
3. Use your cannabutter straight away or refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. You can easily adjust the quantities in this recipe to make more, keeping in mind that 450g of butter can absorb 28g of cannabis, but you will need to simmer it for up to 60 minutes.

Cabbage Salad with Dark Cannabutter Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of: 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)

Procedure

1. Wash the cabbage and remove the central part; cut it into small pieces.
2. Toast the almonds in a nonstick skillet 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 browned; then stir in the cannabutter until 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 the sauce, mix in the almonds, and serve warm.

Upside-Down Express Pineapple Cake

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

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

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

Procedure

1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 180°C.
2. Grease a round cake tin of about 20cm. Place the pineapple slices on the bottom so that they touch, but do not overlap.
3. In a small skillet over medium heat, add 6 tablespoons of cannabutter with ½ cup of granulated sugar and ½ cup of brown sugar. While the butter is melting, stir to combine, then scatter over the pineapple slices. Set aside.
4. In a medium 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. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons of cannabutter in a large bowl 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 beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture, until well combined and smooth.
7. Pour the mixture into the pan, evenly distributed. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (50 to 55 minutes). Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
8. Tap the pan gently 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 cool for another 45 minutes before eating.

Grandma's Cannabis Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy of: 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 salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 450g penne, cooked
• 1 cup smoked mozzarella cheese, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup shredded American or Emmental cheese
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

Procedure

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 whisk 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 hot milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring to combine. Add the salt, cayenne, and black pepper, and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the cooked penne and cheeses, reserving ¼ cup of the Parmesan to add later.
5. Pour the penne into a greased baking dish. Add the remaining parmesan breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of melted cannabutter and spread over the penne. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Chocolate and Marijuana Cookies

Recipe courtesy of: TheCannabisChef.com

Serving: 10-15 biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 170g of cannabutter
• 28g of normal butter
• 2/4 cup sugar
• 1 large cup brown sugar (not compacted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cups chocolate chips

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Whisk together the 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 mixture, then the chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Banana and Marijuana Ice Cream

Recipe courtesy of: 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 saucepan until it is about to boil. Add the Marijuana.
2. Melt the butter with the sugar and a pinch of salt in a second saucepan.
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 mixture, rum and 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, beat it, cover with cling film and place it in the freezer until solid.
8. Move to the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Simple Marijuana Olive Oil

Recipe courtesy of: The Ganja Kitchen Revolution by Jessica Catalano.

Servings: 8, 28g each

Ingredients

• 8 servings of Cannabis of a strain of your choice, dosed and ground
• 230g olive oil

Procedure

1. Determine the strain of cannabis you are using and the appropriate dose 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 stir the ground cannabis well so that it is completely covered in the oil.
3. Cook the mixture on the lowest possible heat for 1 hour, then remove from the heat and strain through a sieve or cheesecloth 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 Olive Oil in the fridge for up to a month.

Note: As a precaution, the Cannabis should never have any moisture in it. Any amount of water, no matter how small, will create the right environment in the oil for bacteria to grow and create toxins like botulism. Make sure the Cannabis is completely dry before infusing. If at any point the bottle begins to cloud, throw it away immediately, as this is a sign that contamination has taken root.

Mexican Guacamole Super Lemon Haze

Recipe courtesy of: 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 Marijuana Olive Oil
• 1 level teaspoon of paprika
• 1 level teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Procedure

1. Peel and pit the avocados, then mash them in a medium 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 combined and check if you need to season further with salt and pepper.
6. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.