Baker’s Dozen with Danny P. – An Introduction: Butter and Oils and Why We Use Them (The Boring Stuff)

With Marijuana on the brink of legalization here in Canada (and already legalized in a few individual States to the South of us) the industry is being thrown into a whole new age of Cannabis culture. Like the San Francisco Gold Rush, people are following the smoke toward the riff-filled land in hopes of making their mark with innovative new ways of getting high. Gone are the days of brownies crammed full of weed, which created a game of roulette either leaving you sober or sending your brain into the stratosphere, and the outlaw culture of ingesting “special” baked goods in the basement of some guy named Ponytail Jay. Just like the marijuana industry, the culinary industry has conjured up new techniques and processes to make you get the most out of your product, and I am here to show you a few tasty recipes to help with your cooking experience.

Butter and Oils and Why We Use Them: The Boring Stuff

Here are two recipes that will take you far. Seriously, in order for your baking experience to be pleasant these two recipes are essential. What these recipes do are to help activate the THC in the cannabis you are using, but also to help evenly distribute the product throughout while making sure your recipes don’t taste of baked dried out herb. The last thing you want is to poorly mix the cookies for your party and have all your guests watch in horror as Bob has the worst night of his life after ingesting 99% of your cannabis in one cookie.

These recipes call for quite a bit of cannabis, but don’t worry, they go a long way. Most recipes you come across will usually only call for a small amount of the butter or oil we make here. The beauty of baking this way is that it gives you the chance to better control the effects of your baked goods. If you are looking for a more fun and energetic experience or just a plain euphoric and complete body stunner, both can be achieved. The most obvious way is to use half regular butter or oil and half cannabutter or oil, but also you should do research into the bud you use. What percentage is the THC? Is it Sativa? Is it Indica? These things matter! Find out the flavour notes, if you are making a cookie, a bud with more of a floral or citrus note would be the obvious choice against something with a little more of an earth tone to it. For the most part, try and avoid very kushy type strains, the flavour is deep and can very much alter the taste of what you are making.

Whatever the case, these recipes will be the base for ensuring your cooking or baking turns out perfectly every time. Now stop reading and let’s get baking!

Cannabutter
Ingredients:
– 1 lb Unsalted Butter
– ½ ounce Cannabis, Ground (If you are looking for stronger butter, use 1 oz of cannabis to 1 lb of butter)

Directions:
Step 1: In a medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. This amount of water can be adjusted based on the size of your sauce pan, but the idea is to always make sure your Cannabis is floating about 2 inches above the bottom of the pan. Direct heat is not good for your end result.

Step 2:: Add the butter to the boiling water, and let it melt completely. Once the butter has melted, add your cannabis. When the cannabis has been added turn your heat down very low, to barely a simmer, and let cook for about 3 hours. When the top has turned from very watery loose mix to glossy and thick you know that it’s ready.

Step 3: Set up a bowl with a strainer that has been lined with two layers of cheese cloth. Carefully pour your mixture through. When it has all been strained, grab the four sides of your cheese cloth and squeeze any remaining butter out.

Step 4: Allow to cool for an hour before placing in the fridge. When the butter has risen to the top and is a solid you can now remove it from the bowl. Carefully run a knife or small spatula around the edge and lift the butter out of the bowl on to a cutting board. The top will contain cooking water and unwanted liquid, scrape this off and presto! You have cannabutter! I like to divide my butter into smaller portions, this makes it easier when measuring for recipes. Be sure to wrap tight and keep this properly labeled in your fridge. If you are making the butter for the long haul, you can pop this into a freezer safe bag and freeze until needed.

Cannaoil
Ingredients:
– 2 cups oil (here you can use any oil, coconut oil is the more healthy of routes to take but be careful of the flavour when using in cooking!)
– ½ ounce Cannabis, Ground (and like the Cannabutter, you can use 1 ounce to make a more potent batch)

Directions: Use same directions for making Cannaoil as listed above for Cannabutter.

*Be sure to also check out:
The “Ritchie Blackmore” Spiced Walnut Brownie

About the Author: Danny P. is a local Toronto, Canada chef with a love for music, food and baking. He may be stuck in the ’70s but he is definitely not stuck in his ways. In this series Danny P. will bring you some of his favourite recipes for absolutely tasty baked goods. If you have any comments, suggestions or other inquiries, hit up Danny P. on Instagram at @danny.doughboy.