Coconut oil THC cookies

Baking sweet treats is serious business around the holidays. The oven is basically a revolving door with trays of stacked cookies flying in and out. We ain’t complaining.

And whether you’re a purist with a family recipe that still shines or a new baker looking for something bold to whip up, there’s a special batch you may want to consider. Yep, we’re talking cannabis cookies.

We’ve put together a list of standout edible cannabis recipes you can bring to any holiday party .

The creaminess of a coconut almond macaroon or the kick of a gingersnap will mask the taste of cannabis, leaving your strait-laced uncle to ask, “Is there even weed in here?” while reaching for his third and seeing a lot of purple or something.

Coconut oil uses and health benefits

Coconut oil also contains other sets of beneficial acids that have been known to have a list of potential health benefits. Lauric acid is a great example—when digested, lauric acid creates a monoglyceride that acts as an antimicrobial.

These fatty acids are found in abundance in coconut oil, making it a top contender for those looking for a healthier oil base than butter or canola oil.

Why is coconut oil popular for cannabis infusion?

Coconut oil has a high concentration of fatty acids (saturated fats). The surplus of these fatty acids in coconut oil create a strong binding agent for cannabinoids.

Compared to olive oil, which contains a saturated fat content of less than 20%, coconut oil contains over 80% saturated fats and thus has the ability to retain far more cannabinoids during infusions, making it far more efficient. Coconut oil is a near-perfect medium for cannabis-infused oils.

How to make CBD coconut oil

For those who don’t want the effects of THC in their infused coconut oil, you can infuse it with CBD instead. Simply follow the recipe above but use CBD flower instead of THC flower to get the health benefits of CBD.

Gingersnap cookies with medicated caramel frosting

Topped with a layer of weed-enhanced caramel frosting, these molasses-spiked morsels are the sweets you never expected would find their way into your holiday baking — but are glad you gave em’ a shot.

Think of them as the perfectly spiced gingersnaps grandma used to make, only with something a little extra that grandma would never have thrown in.

Made with cinnamon, molasses, and ginger, the tasty delights only need 10 minutes in the oven. One batch makes 30 cookies, so put on a pot of tea, throw these in the oven, and freeze any leftover dough for next time.

Cannabis-infused almond laced cookies

If you need a break from classic gingerbreads, we hear you. There’s definitely a time and place for crispy snowflake-like cookies with a different kind of look and zing — one of fresh orange zest and almond.

They’re drizzle-coated with chocolate, so, as you can imagine, that combination is killer. These treats are vegan and gluten-free too, made with coconut oil, coconut milk, gluten-free all-purpose flour, and brown rice syrup.

But, as another reminder before licking the delicious spoon too many times — there’s definitely cannabis-infused coconut oil in here. So if you want to finish the bake without getting baked, then it might be wise to refrain from spoon-lickage.

Cannabis chocolate chip cookie dough balls

When cookie dough cravings hit, cookies that require zero baking are a must.

Usually sneaking a chunk of cookie dough means risking the chance of a belly ache after eating raw egg. Not today, belly bother!

This recipe is sans egg but needs cannabutter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla extract, flour, and semisweet chocolate chips.

You can store them up to a week in an airtight container, which is also ideal for a cookie you should refrain from devouring more than one or two of at once.

Why Cannabis Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil is an accessible and versatile base for creating strong cannabis infusions, topicals, and medicinal edibles because of its high saturated fat content. It’s capable of extracting up to 82% of cannabinoids.

You can do almost anything with cannabis infused coconut oil – like make this cannabananna bread!

Coconut oil is adaptable to different diets, including ketogenic, vegan and paleo and just plain tastes really good.  If you don’t have a coconut allergy, making coconut oil infusions is also a great way to ingest cannabinoids.

I spent almost a year of my life trying to put coconut oil in every edible and topical I could think of (and ended up writing several books about it).

Making Effective Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil Every Time

• Try to use lab tested, organically grown trim or flower whenever possible. I don’t want to freak you out, but buying cannabis on the black market is a toxin minefield. Many growers use pesticides and fungicides that are not meant to be used on plants for human consumption. For example, Eagle 20 a popular fungicide is meant to be used on golf courses. When’s the last time you thought about eating (or smoking) golf course grass?
• If your oil ever begins to smoke, remove from heat immediately and let it cool a bit before beginning the process again with your crockpot on the lowest setting. It’ll probably still “work” but you’re likely burning off some of the incredible compounds that evaporate at higher temperatures. If you constantly find yourself overheating your oil in your crockpot or on the stove (guilty), check out the FX (it’s virtually smell proof and it decarboxylates AND infuses and can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy cleanup)
• For a more smellproof DIY method, you can make cannabis oil in a mason jar.
• You don’t have to finely grind your cannabis no matter what you’re cooking in (in my experience, it makes it harder to strain, leaves a bunch of plant material in that makes for a “greener” taste, and doesn’t improve potency). However, if you’re using buds, you can break them up a bit before you decarboxylate.
• You can also make cannabis infused coconut oil using hash and concentrates.
• Have fun! Don’t fret over your canna-oil when it’s in the pot. People on the internet make this much more complicated then it has to be. Not me… but you know… other people on the internet. I was writing a cannabis cookbook and had to overthink it, but you totally don’t. This is a simple process and it should be enjoyable, not stressful. Just follow the instructions above, adapt or substitute for what you have on hand and share what works in the comments below. We can all learn from each other.