The last month has turned you into what we might describe as a bit of a home chef, fantastic, now we add some weed.

What was the point of binge-watching Basics with Babish from your flour-covered iPad if you’re not going to ponder how to throw a little pot in here and there? I mean, the dispensary and grocery store are basically the only two places you can go to.

But fear not! You don’t even need to get that experimental. We’ve collected a handful of recipes from the authors of some of the top pot cookbooks in the game to get your kitchen smelling dank!

Our first picks come from one of the authors of HERB: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis, chef Melissa Parks. Parks told L.A. Weekly making edibles at home during a pandemic at first appeared to be an impossible task.

herb cover 549420

“I wasn’t able to find any of the basics like eggs, butter, milk, heavy cream or toilet paper for that matter. BUT I’m not one who gives up very easily, so I got to thinking. I could find mayonnaise and my baking pantry was pretty well-stocked with sugars and flours. So, I came up with this quick, easy, affordable and crave-worthy medicated chocolate mayonnaise cake made from pantry staples,” Parks said.

Medicated and Pandemic-friendly Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened coffee at room temperature
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (full fat and NOT “salad dressing”)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cannabis-infused vegetable oil (this amount will vary depending on how strong you want to go on the cake)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2.  Grease and line the bottom of a 9 inch x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
    3. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda.
    4. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the room temperature unsweetened coffee,     mayonnaise, vanilla extract and cannabis infused vegetable oil.
    5. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
    6. Pour the batter formed by mixing into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Parks     oven runs hot, so I check for doneness at 27 minutes. If a toothpick comes out clean from the cake, it is done.

Our next offering comes from Edibles: Small Bites for The Modern Cannabis Kitchen by Stephanie Hua with Coreen Carrol.

ediblescover 914323

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Be forewarned, you may find yourself sneaking spoonfuls of this sinful chocolate hazelnut spread at all hours of the day (or night!). Slather it on toast or stir a bit into your morning coffee to start the day off right.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup/135 grams high quality semisweet chocolate chips or féves (60% to 65% cacao)
  • 1½ cups/180 g roasted unsalted hazelnuts, unpeeled is fine.
  • 2/3 cup/150 g heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp plus ¾ tsp/16 grams canna butter at room temperature
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

  1. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl and set aside.
    In a food processor, process the hazelnuts for about 5 minutes until you have a loose nut butter, pausing a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The nut butter should be fluid enough that it will slowly ooze down like thick molasses if you let it fall from the spatula. Transfer ¼ cup [80 g] to a small saucepan. The remaining nut butter is the chef’s snack! (Or freeze the leftover nut butter in an airtight container for up to six months so it’s ready to go the next time you want to make this recipe.)
  2. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and whisk in the cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally to combine well and kolate melts. Whisk until completely melted and evenly blended. Keep the cream from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture starts to bubble, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes until the chocolate melts. Whisk until completely melted and evenly blended.
  3. Add the canna butter and salt. Whisk well for about 1 minute to ensure equal distribution of the butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and whisk a bit more for good measure. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to six months.
edibleshazelnutspread 356135

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – Photo by Linda Xiao

 

Our first recipe from our final authors is a multipurpose cream, it can be used as a building block for some crazy dishes and is just that in Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed. Longtime OG edible journalist Elise McDonough and the rest of the editorial team at the Munchies Test Kitchen put out an absolute killer cookbook that’s a must for anyone that wants to get nuts with their cannabis cuisine prep.

Bong Appetit Weed-Infused Cream

First off, always use the best organic, full-fat cream you can find so there are enough lipids to support a potent cannabis infusion. Nondairy creams can also be infused using this method, especially coconut cream, which has a high fat content. For milk alternatives made from almond, hemp, or soy, the fat content must be 4 grams per serving, at the very least, or you’re just wasting weed.

bongapetitcover 769933

Equipment

  • Double boiler
  • Mesh strainer
  • Cheesecloth
  • Liquid measuring cup

Ingredients

Directions

Set up the double boiler and bring the water to a simmer. Combine the trim and cream in the top of the double boiler and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and strain the cream into the measuring cup, squeezing the solids at the very end to extract all of the cream. Compost or discard the plant matter.

Use right away, or transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

If you scoop the book, there are a few things you can do with the cream in it. Nevertheless, our next offering from Bong Appétit is a bit more savory!

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Munchies team said everyone needs one perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe in their arsenal, and it may as well be one that gets you blazed. Part of the key to this recipe is chopping the chocolate into irregular chunks (use a serrated knife for that) ensuring there’s a bit of chocolate in every bite

Ingredients

  • 13⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons flower-infused butter (see separate recipe), at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar1 large egg
  • 1⁄2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 1⁄2 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped Maldon sea salt

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. In a large bowl, combine both butters and beat with a wooden spoon until soft and smooth. Add both sugars to the butter and beat until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Using the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, add to the bowl, and stir to mix well. Add the flour mixture and stir just until fully incorporated, then fold in the chocolate.

Divide the dough into eighteen equal portions, shape each portion into a ball, and arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each ball with a healthy pinch of Maldon salt, then refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the cookies, directly from the refrigerator, until set on the outside but still soft in the middle, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Reprinted with permission from Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed by the Editors of MUNCHIES, copyright© 2018. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

 

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.