Tips on Baking with Cannabis

If you want to learn cannabis baking  This is the mantra of Cookies of Good Fortune, an independent supplier of baked goods that markets cannabis cookies to Boulder, Colorado medical dispensaries.

“You can very easily just get a box of brownie mix, and it’s perfectly fine,” says Jess, part owner and chief baker, “but if you’re a foodie, and you want to be a green foodie, then you need to take the time to research the techniques and be a foodie all the way.”

What techniques are recommended for novice cannabis bakers? Jess emphasizes mastering basic baking skills, such as the correct sequence in which to add ingredients and the meaning of various baking terms. She also advises novice bakers not to skimp on quality. “Good baking and good cannabis baking are not mutually exclusive,” she explains. “Just like with any baking, good ingredients make good food. Real vanilla extract is just going to taste better than imitation.”

Baking is a precise art. Details matter. “For example, using cold butter instead of melted butter changes the consistency of the dough,” Jess points out. Unlike cooking, where you can get away with on-the-fly decisions, skillful baking calls for thorough preparation. Since baking with cannabis can be an expensive endeavor, it’s critical to pay attention. A ruined batch of cookies is a sad way to end an afternoon.

In addition to the quality of the other ingredients, cannabis quality is also important. “Sometimes people use really crappy pot when they make baked goods, and they have a really crappy time,” Jess says. If you’re serious about learning how to make your own baked goods well, it’s worth taking the trouble to acquire high-quality cannabis.

You’ll also want to experiment with different strains of cannabis to get an idea of how much cannabis to use in your baked goods. Well-stocked medical dispensaries offer dozens of varieties, and the staff should be able to answer questions about the various strains and their effects. Think about the effect you want to achieve with your baked goods—do you want to be highly functional, or do you want to get couchlocked? Different strains of cannabis have different effects on the mind and body.

If you’re a novice baker, start out with an easy cookie or brownie recipe. It’s a good idea to try making the recipe at least a few times before adding cannabis to the ingredients. That way, any mistakes you make will be less costly and you’ll be able to perfect the recipe.

It’s not necessary to use a cannabis cookbook to make delicious baked goods, but if you want to use one, there are several good ones on the market. Just be aware that if you’re referencing an older cookbook printed in the 1970s, the suggested amounts of cannabis may need to be reduced to handle today’s more powerful strains of cannabis.

If you’re using an ordinary cookbook, then according to Jess, “Any baking recipe that calls for butter, you can use green butter instead.” The key is to remember that cannabis has a strong flavor, so you’ll want to mask that with sweetness. However, the sweetness doesn’t necessarily have to be chocolate. Cookies of Good Fortune is known for their signature Fruit & Oat cookie, paired with Sativa cannabis for an experience that Jess calls “highly functional and aware.”

Once you’ve gained some confidence with basic baking skills and have a few recipes under your belt, you too can adapt your approach to achieve any effect you want. “Don’t be afraid to experiment as long as you’ve got the foundation down,” Jess says. “As soon as you know the fundamentals of any recipe, you can change a little. Make it your own, that’s important.”