CANNA-BUTTER
Cannabis-infused butter is one of the easiest ways to make epic edibles that will win you friends and favours in high places. It’s not exactly rocket science, but you do need to pay attention if you want to make your batch 100% active, clean and clear. Just follow these simple step-by-step instructions.
A gentle reminder that the potency of your canna-butter will be affected by multiple variables like cooking time, heat and strength of your flower so it’s impossible to pre-determine or predict its potency.
This recipe is a standard guide and we’d recommend always testing the potency of your butter before cooking with it. Start by tasting ¼ teaspoon, then waiting for an hour to see how it affects you. Use this as a baseline measurement for that batch.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup cannabis
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups of water
TOOLS
- Hand grinder or scissors
- Baking dish
- Medium saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Thermometer
- Cheesecloth and/or metal strainer
- Oven
STEP ONE: DECARBOXYLATION
The first step of the process is called decarboxylation. This just means that the flower must be heated slowly at a low temperature in order to activate the psychoactive potential, and helps the lipids in the butter bind to the cannabis. If you skip this step, you’ll have a weak or inactive canna-butter.
- Preheat the oven to 120°C.
- Using a hand-grinder, scissors or your hands, break apart the amount of cannabis you wish to work with until it is the consistency ready for rolling a joint, but not too fine that it will slip through cheesecloth.
- Spread your flower evenly onto a non-stick baking dish.
- Place in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes; or about 45 minutes for cured, high-grade weed; or up to one hour for plant material that has been recently harvested.
- Check on the cannabis every 10 minutes, mixing it so that it doesn’t burn.
- When the colour of your cannabis has changed from bright green to deep brownish-green, that’s when you know it has decarboxylated.
STEP 2: INFUSION
- On a very low heat, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of butter into a saucepan and simmer on low to melt the butter. This will help regulate the temperature as butter can burn quickly.
- Now add the decarboxylated cannabis and mix well.
- Simmer on a low heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure that it doesn’t boil or burn. If you have a thermometer, check to make sure the temperature doesn’t reach above 80°C.
- Strain with a metal strainer or cheesecloth into a clean container and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Use immediately, or keep in a well-sealed, dated jar in your fridge or freezer for up to six months.
Want to start baking? Start with Edibles, a cannabis cookery book by Stephanie Hua with Coreen Carroll, available here. Perfect for bakers of all skill levels, Edibles showcases 30 bite-sized, low-dose recipes, while simultaneously teaching you how to create the master ingredients, like canna butters and oils from scratch, and advising on safe-to-consume dosage and portions.
Photography by Micky Wiswedel
Styled by Caro Gardner