Easy Cannabutter & The Best Pot Brownie Recipe

The brownie is a quintessential comfort dessert that has a reputation of being the original stoner edible. Making your own cannabis-infused brownies at home is a lot easier than you think! The hardest part is getting the canna-butter or canna-oil, but this can be easily made in the comfort of your own home. I’m going to share a simple cannabutter recipe that you can use for the base of all your cannabis-infused baked goods and even cook with! Of course, you can use other fats like coconut oil, but for the sake of the brownie recipe, we will be using butter.

In college, when we made pot brownies the goal was to be in the clouds within the two hours it took to digest the brownie. I recall my roommate at the time and I painstakingly grinding up a half oz (aka 10 grams) of weed for one batch of boxed brownies that yielded about 20 extremely potent edibles. Now, in the days of corporate jobs, no one really wants to be falling asleep at their desk after eating a pot brownie. I’ve scrapped the box mix in favor of brownies made from scratch and I’m here to share that recipe with you all!

For the canna-butter recipe you’ll need:

• A quarter or 7 grams of marijuana
• 3 sticks unsalted butter
• A cheesecloth + mesh strainer
• A cookie sheet

For the brownie recipe, you’ll need:

• 8 oz milk or dark chocolate
• ¼ cup of Dutch cocoa powder + ½ cup cocoa powder (save for later)
• 1 tbsp espresso powder (optional)
• 1 ¼ cups of melted cannabutter
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups white/granulated sugar
• A pinch of salt or 1 Tsp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chocolate turtles (to mix-in) [optional]

Let’s get started! First, we’re going to lightly toast—also known as “decarb”—our marijuana. Decarb is short for decarboxylation. This is an important step when making edibles. The process fully activates the THC in your cannabis to a much higher potency than traditional methods of consumption. Preheat your oven to 245 degrees Fahrenheit. Grind your eighth into uniform sized bits and spread out on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Keep a close eye on your oven. Overexposure to heat will destroy the cannabis rather than fully activate the THC.

Remove from the oven and let cool while you melt 3 sticks of unsalted butter in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add your marijuana and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer while constantly stirring for 45 minutes to an hour. The butter itself will begin to turn green and fill your kitchen with the sweet smell of whatever strain you’re using. Careful not to burn your butter!

Once this step is done, strain your cannabutter through a cheesecloth and mesh strainer into a measuring cup to catch the bits of ground marijuana. Make sure to squeeze the cheesecloth to wring out every last drop of that cannabutter. If left to cool long enough, the butter will solidify once more, but we’re going to use it melted in our brownie recipe.

First, mix 8 oz of chocolate with ¼ cup of Dutch cocoa powder and 1 tbsp espresso powder. Melt this mixture using 1 ¼ cups of hot, melted cannabutter. In a separate bowl, combine your remaining dry ingredients: Flour, salt, and the reserved ½ cup of cocoa powder. The espresso powder will intensify the chocolate flavor, while the salt amplifies the sweetness of your brownies. In another bowl, cream together your eggs and sugars until light and fluffy, resembling a thick pancake batter. Add vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Combine your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients until just undermixed. At this point add any mix-ins you’d like, such as the 2 cups of chopped chocolate turtles. If you’re not a fan of turtles, you can always substitute with chocolate chips, nuts, or caramel candies. Make sure your batter is well combined. Pour into a baking tin. Tap the tin on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and level out the batter.

Bake your brownies in a 375-degree oven for 30-40 mins until cooked through. These brownies turn out fudgy, delicious, and not too dense. This recipe yields about 24 cannabis-infused brownies with the perfect potency. Your remaining cannabutter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and used for any other edibles or your next meal! Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think in the comments!