Cannabis edibles continue to add flavor to the industry
The edible cannabis segment is one of the most thriving in the marijuana industry. New concoctions are being introduced virtually every day and there are now a wide variety of cannabis delicacies to choose from – salads, muffins, smoothies and many more. The market is growing, despite edibles still not being legal in a number of jurisdictions, and it’s always important to know how to properly measure the amount necessary when preparing cannabis recipes at home.
As explained by Sarah Medel, a registered nurse and a director of patient education, “Start low and go slow. This means start with a low dose to see how you react and then increase the dose if needed. Remember it can take up to two hours to feel the effects of cannabis oil.” She adds, “Calculate how many individual doses you want for each baked good. 12 doses for 12 muffins.”
When baking, Medel recommends mixing the cannabis oil with regular oil into the dry ingredients and stir until the cannabis oil is properly distributed. This way, the entire batch will offer the same dose of cannabis.
Medel points out that any recipe that calls for oil can be adapted to use cannabis oil – it can be added in on top of the regular oil. As far as the resulting taste, Medel explains, “Medium chain triglycerides based oils are more readily available. It’s basically derived from coconut and is more mild and neutral and will taste better then added for food.”
Amanda Lapidus, a registered dietician, may have found the perfect muffin recipe:
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp psyllium husks
2 tsp apple pie spice (or pumpkin spice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup coconut oil
12 doses cannabis (adjusted to taste)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup water (divided into ¼ cups)
1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
½ cup pecans, chopped
Preparation
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, set aside; preheat oven to 375F.
- Dry ingredients — In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add both flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, psyllium husks, apple pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk ingredients until combined and then set aside.
- Wet ingredients — In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Adding the cannabis
Pour 12 doses of cannabis oil into a measuring cup at least 1 cup in size. Once the cannabis oil has been added, top it up with the melted coconut oil until you have a total of 3/4 cup of coconut oil and cannabis oil combined. Whisk the cannabis-coconut oil combination thoroughly to make sure that the cannabis has been evenly distributed into the coconut oil. This is a very important step to ensure that each muffin has equal doses of cannabis. Add the cannabis-coconut oil combination to the wet ingredients (large bowl) and whisk together ingredients, making sure to evenly mix the cannabis-coconut oil into the wet ingredients.
Adding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
Fold the dry ingredients (medium bowl) into the wet mixture (large bowl) and stir until just combined. If the mixture seems dry add a few tablespoons of water.
Add the toppings of your choice
Mix in as many dried cranberries and pecans as you would like.
Adding batter to muffin tins
Divide batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Use a measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to make sure that each muffin gets the exact same amount of batter. This is very important to ensure that each muffin has the same amount of batter.
Optional toppings
Sprinkle the top of muffins with shredded coconut and top each one with a pecan.
Place muffins in preheated oven and bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (or with just a few crumbs are attached).
Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
