Lazarus - Sweet Mary Jane: 75 Delicious Cannabis-infused High-end Desserts

O ur kitchen in Boulder, Colorado, sits quietly among the foothills of the Front Range, far from a main road. We dont have a big sign that shows people where to find us; as a matter of fact, we dont have any sign at all. You need to enter a security code to get inside in the morning, and set it again when you leave at night. Some people might find this unusual, having to bake under security cameras that watch you 24/7, and, truthfully, at first it was a bit strange for all of us in the kitchen. But now we dont even think about it.

Im Karin Lazarus, founder of Sweet Mary Jane Bakery. Ive been baking since I was eight, when my mom gave me a Sunbeam Mixmaster and a Betty Crocker cookbook. My mother kept our familys pantry stocked with all the goodies Hostess had to offer, plus what she herself baked. We ate sweet treats all the time: homemade chocolate pudding with toasted walnuts and a dollop of freshly whipped cream, Linzer cookies filled with raspberry preserves and dusted with powdered sugar, icebox cookie cake, and chocolate chip cookies baked at the drop of a hat, just because. Shed even top homemade waffles with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and pure maple syrup. That got me out of bed in the morning! I had the biggest sweet tooth in the universe, and my mom made sure I could satisfy it. But even back then, I wanted to make things on my own.

After baking my very first batch of chocolate chip cookies, my familys oohs and ahhs were such a thrill. Oh, I was hooked. I was a Girl Scout, and of course I sold Girl Scout cookies, but as I was delivering boxes to the neighbors, I fantasized about having made the cookies myself. In the summertime, while other kids set up lemonade stands, I opened a cookie stand. Baking, I saw, was not only fun but profitable. Best of all, it made people happy.

Thats what Ive aimed to do ever since.

In high school, I baked for head shops in New York Cityyou know, those funky little stores that sell hippie clothing, incense and perfume (patchouli!), and drug paraphernalia. Way back then, it was uninfused goodies, things like rose petal sweet bread, banana bread, peach bread, and assorted cookies and brownies. I doubt I made enough money to cover the ingredients, but I didnt care; I loved doing it. I baked all through college, too, for family gatherings and also for friends. Nobody I knew ever went without a birthday cake. I made delicious treats for when the munchies struck, and took special requests for party desserts. I was thrilled that people wanted me to bake for them.

I married after graduation, and moved to New York with my husband, Charley. My degree was in photography and I immediately found work as an artists representative. Although I enjoyed the job (and it certainly paid the bills), it wasnt something I felt passionate about. I wanted a business of my own, and I knew it had to revolve around cooking. So I signed up for catering classes in Chelsea. This covered both cooking and the business end of things, and it was great fun. Living in the city, I was surrounded by wonderful restaurants andespecially important, given my sweet tooth!bakeries: Dean & DeLuca, Vesuvio Italian Bakery, The Silver Palate, Chelsea Market. There was a tiny Italian place across from our apartment on Sullivan Street, and I used to walk over and get the best biscotti before heading to work. During Lent, they made hot cross buns and sold them toasty warm and slathered with fresh, creamy butter, and there were lines of happy customers out the door. Owning a bakery, I thought, must be the best thing in the world.

A few years later, my husband and I moved to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. White sand, hot sun, the beautiful sea. Charley worked as a builder while I kept busy with private catering jobs, parties for locals and for the tourists who come to the Caribbean to sail. Once our daughter, Lucienne, was born, however, we decided that it was time to return to realitywe wanted to raise her in the States. We lived again for a while in New York, then moved to Boulder, Colorado, and after some years, I found myself a single mom. This coincided with a faltering economy. Work was hard to come by. I wrote and tested recipes for a healthy lifestyle magazine, which I loved doing, although the pay was modest and it was difficult to make ends meet. Then I met a wonderful food stylist who taught me the tricks of that trade, but here in Boulder there is not much call for that sort of work. Also, I wanted to be baking and having people eat the food, not just making it look beautiful while rendering it inedible with styling tricks. So while these jobs kept me afloat and provided valuable experience, I was still dreaming my bakery dream.