CBD has become one of those natural remedies that has popped up in many ways, shapes and forms. The versatility of consumption has led to many uses. One particular popular choice is its use in foods or edibles.

You can use CBD flour, otherwise known as CBD nugs, or CBD oil for these recipes. Either CBD product you choose, make sure it is good quality and lab-tested.

Can you cook with CBD?

One of the first questions you should be asking. The answer is yes! Depending on the type of CBD product you are using, it may need some preparation. For example, if using the CBD flower, it is necessary to decarboxylate the buds by making an extract to infuse into butter or oil (find the recipe below), while CBD oil is ready for use.

It is also important to keep in mind that CBD does evaporate under high heat, so keeping a close eye on the fire while cooking is a must. Fortunately, if cooking with CBD flower or flower extracts, CBD tends to burn off and lose its effectiveness around 350°F, which makes many recipes possible. 

Pro tip: Keep a thermometer handy!

How much CBD is too much?

The amount of CBD that a person should be consuming, otherwise known as the correct CBD dosage, varies depending on many factors. Some of the factors that influence how your body will react include age, weight, metabolism, tolerance and the amount of CBD per dosage. 

If you are an avid user of CBD or any cannabis product, your tolerance may be higher than someone beginning to use CBD, and therefore will have a higher dosage. 

A quick tip to discovering your correct dosage is always start low. It is better to build up to your dosage than to increase your tolerance and accidently make CBD ineffective to your pains. We recommend starting at 20 mg to 40 mg a day and increasing by 5 mg per week. Your correct dosage will be based on the amount of CBD taken until you feel that it is effectively treating your symptoms.

If you are worried about the side effects of CBD, there are almost none. Unlike many drugs, CBD has practically no negatives if overused. According to the World Health Organization, CBD “exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”

Now that you have discovered your correct dosage, you can use it to cook. In order to obtain the proper dosage per serving, you must calculate the amount of CBD needed per serving per recipe. For example, if you are making 12 muffins, and your CBD dosage is 50 mg, you will multiply 12 by 50 making the dosage for that recipe 600 mg of CBD.

How do I Decarboxylate my CBD Flower?

This is a crucial step necessary for obtaining the best from your CBD buds. As mentioned earlier, if you are using CBD flowers, you will need to do this step before making any recipes.

To decarb your cannabis, follow these instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 245ºF. 

2. Place CBD buds or CBD flowers on a non-stick, oven-safe tray and cover the tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. 

3. Insert the tray into the oven and set a timer for 30-40 minutes. Older, drier CBD may require less time to decarb, so be sure to keep an eye on it. You are looking for a darker, drier CBD flower.

4. Every 10 minutes, gently mix the buds with a light shake of the tray to expose the surface area of the buds equally.

5. Grind the decarboxylated CBD coarsely with a hand grinder or if you do not have one nearby, a blender with a pulse setting will do.

Pro Tip: you can also set your oven to 300ºF and heat for 10 to 18 minutes, although low-and-slow is the recommended approach when decarbing to better preserve the cannabinoids.

Now that your CBD flower is decarbed, you are ready to start cooking.

What should you cook first?

As mentioned earlier, using CBD flowers will require you to make an extract that will infuse butter and oil. If using CBD oil, this step is skipped altogether. For those making fresh CBD oil and CBD butter, the recipe is posted below.

CBD Butter

-1 cup of butter

-1 cup of water

-7-10 grams of ground CBD flower, decarboxylated

1. Melt the butter and water together into a stock pot or saucepan. Simmer on low and let the butter melt. Adding water helps to regulate the temperature and prevents the butter from scorching.

2. Add the cannabis. As the butter begins to melt, add in your coarsely ground cannabis product.

3. Simmer. Maintain low heat (ideally above 160ºF but never exceeding 200ºF) and let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture should never come to a full boil.

4. Strain the butter. Set a funnel on top of a jar and line it with cheesecloth. Once the butter has cooled off, pour it over the cheesecloth funnel and allow it to strain freely. 

5. Refrigerate the jar of butter. If excess water forms at the bottom of the jar, you can remove the solid butter with a knife and drain the water out. (The butter will need to refrigerate for about an hour before removing the water.)

Pro Tip: Squeezing the cheesecloth may push more bad-tasting plant material through, so just let it seep through.

CBD Oil

Equipment:

-Either a Double-Boiler, Slow Cooker, or Saucepan

-Oven

-Baking Tray

-Parchment Paper

-Grinder or Scissors

-Cheesecloth or Strainer

Ingredients:

-1 cup ground CBD flower, decarboxylated

-1 cup cooking oil (Olive and Coconut Oil are most common)

Directions:

1. Decarboxylate your CBD flower.

2. Grind up the CBD flower. Make sure that it is large enough to not fall through the cloth/strainer. Anything fine enough will end up in the final product.

3. With the cheesecloth wrap the ground cannabis and tie it together.

4. Add oil and CBD into either a slow cooker, double-boiler, or saucepan. Using a double-boiler, cook on low for 6-8 hours (8 hours is recommended), and stirring occasionally. Finally using a saucepan, cook on low for 3 hours and stir it frequently, as the saucepan is susceptible to scorching.

5. Strain and capture the oil. If using a cheesecloth do not squeeze, this adds more unnecessary chlorophyll to the oil. Leftover plant materials can be discarded.

The oil's shelf life is at least 2 months and can be extended by keeping it refrigerated.  

CBD butter and CBD oil are the two most basic ingredients. They can be used in any recipe and are intended to be the basis for cooking. Making these two basic ingredients can open up your life to CBD and its health benefits.