Laurie - Marijuana edibles: 40 easy and delicious cannabis-infused desserts

Introduction

Can you believe youre reading a cannabis cookbook?
We can hardly believe weve written one!

What a wonderful world it is that allows us delightful things like marijuana edibles. Despite its clean safety record and numerous health benefits, cannabis is still a bit taboo in many circles. Thats certainly changing, and with increased responsible use, we hope minds will continue to open and welcome this enchanting herb. Cooking with cannabis can be such a gratifying thing. With just a little time and preparation, you can make virtually any dish your heart desires into an edible. However, we love making our edibles as sweets. Not only do they taste just phenomenal, they are also a great way to end a meal and bring on a wonderfully deep sleep or a fun, whacky game night. Youll be the star of your next potluck when you show up with a batch of some delicious, low-dose edibles. (Just be sure to label your goodies so everyone knows they are marijuana edibles!)

Weve pulled together some of our very favorite desserts here to get you started in the world of edibles. Whether youre interested in marijuana edibles for recreational or medical reasons, we hope this book helps you find the experience youre looking for.

Acknowledgments

Our thanks goes out to friends, family, clients, and customers who have encouraged our efforts all along the way. Were grateful to Ricard Baca and Aleta Labak for their support and friendship, as well as for bringing Lauries edible recipes to the world. Wed also like to give a special shout-out to the crews at Oregons Finest (Megan, Selena, and Andreawe love you) and GreenSky (Sam, the man!). Alex at ChemHistory is one of our very favorite people, providing reliable testing for all of our cannabis cooking and products. And thank you to our buddy, the talented writer Tyler Hurst, for his no-nonsense advice and wealth of knowledge.

Wed also like to thank Nathalie and Kayla at Penguin Random House for their constant encouragement, patience, and support in the creation of this book. Without these talented ladies, this book would not have happened. And to you, our open-minded, adventurous readerwe thank you. May this book bring you only good times!

The publisher would like to thank Jeff Soper for his food styling assistance and preparation tips, and Bruce Wolf for his photography of the dispensary shown in this book.

Marijiuana: A Crash Course

Marijuana and marijuana edibles are prized not only for recreational use but also for their medicinal benefits.

Plants and Strains

Marijuana is typically categorized by its strains: sativa, indica, and (to a lesser extent) ruderalis. Sativa is known for its energetic, cerebral effects, while indica is known for its sedating, full-body high. Ruderalis strains are low in both THC and CBD, making them worthless for medicinal or recreational use on their own. However, they have an autoflowering feature used by breeders to create hearty autoflowering strains high in THC or CBD. You can also find many hybrids that blend the effects of sativas and indicas into the ideal strain for your mood or requirements. Check out Leafly (leafly.com) or VerdaBase (verdabase.com) online for strain information.

A Brief History of Smoking, Teas, and Ingestion

Medical Uses of Pot

Cannabis has a wide range of wonderful health benefits. It increases the appetite while reducing nausea, making it beneficial to cancer patients and individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS and cachexia (wasting syndrome). Cannabis also provides pain relief along with anti-inflammatory properties, which is ideal for anyone suffering from chronic pain, migraines, arthritis, PMS and so on. Marijuana is even valued for its treatment of stress, anxiety, PTSD, and depression. Patients with gastrointestinal issues, as well as those suffering from epilepsy, ALS, and MS, can find relief with cannabis. Studies have also found that cannabis's neuroprotective and neurogenerative properties make it an effective treatment for Alzheimers, stroke, and Parkinsons disease. While more studies are required to evaluate the level of effectiveness in all of these treatments, the research so far looks promising.

Cannabis Sativa

High in THC with long, fingerlike leaves, these tall strains are known for their energetic qualities.

Cannabis Indica

These short, stocky strains with wide leaves are known for their sedative qualities.

Cannabis Ruderalis

Ruderalis strains are found in colder regions and contain very small leaves and few branches.

Terminology

Marijuana: Slang for cannabis. It's also known as weed, mary jane, and pot.

Bud: The flower from the cannabis plant. This is where all the medicinal and psychoactive benefits of marijuana come from.

THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary compound found in cannabis. It's responsible for many of the health benefits, as well as the psychoactive properties.

CBD: Cannabidiol, the secondary compound found in cannabis. It has many amazing health benefits without the psychoactivity of THC.

HOW TO GET FROM BUD TO BROWNIE

With a few cooking alterations, something thats typically smoked can provide the same high in mouth-watering treats.

How Pot Gets You High

Resin excreted from the cannabis plant contains hundreds of chemical compounds in the form of cannabinoids and terpenes, the most famous of which is the psychoactive cannabinoid THC followed by CBD. They enter the bloodstream and activate receptors throughout the human body, producing the high associated with this wonderful plant.

Effects of Marijuana on the Brain

THC and CBD, the main ingredients in marijuana, attach to receptors throughout the brain and body. Because a high density of these receptors are found across multiple brain regions, you can experience various effects from the drugfor instance, relaxation, increased appetite, poor short-term memory, pain relief, anxiety, and euphoria.

In the Brain

Cannabinoids act on neural receptors involved in memory and perception (cerebral cortex), movement (cerebellum), appetite (hypothalamus), and pain relief (brain stem).

The Process

The buds you buy from a dispensary are dried and cured flowers from the cannabis plant. These, as well as shake or trim, can be infused into butter or oil for cooking. But to be effective, the marijuana must first be decarboxylated.