Marijuana Cooking: Good Medicine Made Easy

Add melted butter or oil, slowly pouring over nut/seed/fruit mixture and mixing with hands. Add 1 tablespoon carob powder. Carob adds a chocolate-like flavor. This ingredient is optional. If you choose to leave it out, use less of the smoothie liquid in the next step or add more of the finely chopped dry ingredients from the list above to the mix to make up for this dry ingredient.

Make a smoothie in a blender with 1 cup of fruit juice (apple works well, but you can try others), a banana or other soft fruit, and chopped ginger if desired. Be creative. This adds to the flavor and sweetness of the finished product. Slowly pour this smoothie over mix, mixing in with your hands as you go. The amount you use will be by the “feel.” Keep adding until the mix can be easily rolled into balls.

Roll mix into balls. Be sure to be consistent with the size of each ball.

The balls will be soft at this point, but will firm up when refrigerated.

Put finely chopped ingredients in small bowls to use as a coating. Roll each ball in a coating. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until hardened. These need to be kept refrigerated because they fall apart easily at room temperature. To store Bliss Balls for more than a week, we recommend freezing in baggies or an airtight container to avoid the freezer taste.

A Word About Ingredient Substitutions

Many patients have food allergies or sensitivities that make it necessary to adapt recipes to meet those needs. For example, one patient for whom I bake cannot tolerate refined sugar. I’ve found it easy, with experience and over several trial batches, to adjust the recipes to allow for more liquid (in the case of substituting honey for granulated sugar) and to include ingredients like fruit or nuts that either add or absorb moisture, respectively. If your batter is too wet, add a small amount of flour and mix well until the batter reaches a doughy consistency. If your batter is too dry, add water, an egg, or a liqueur (for more flavor). There are infinite possibilities; just experiment, keeping in mind the needs of those for whom you are baking. It’s always good to ask patients if they have any food sensitivities when you first discuss baking for them.

Many patients have allergies to flour or wheat products. There are lots of ways to substitute for wheat flour, but keep in mind that each kind of flour will translate into a different sort of flavor in the finished cookie. Spelt flour is one substitution that works for some patients and tastes the most like wheat flour. Substituting rice flour will change the taste of your cookie; you’ll want to choose a recipe like an almond crescent cookie that is more compatible with the flavor of rice flour than recipes that are traditionally European. You may also find wheatless mixes at your local health food store.

Here is the recipe I use for patients who cannot tolerate refined sugar. It is an old recipe that originally included brown sugar. I simply used more honey rather than substituting another kind of sweetener in adapting this.

If you have trouble finding alternative ingredients, ask at a natural foods store, or contact The Baker’s Catalogue, P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont

05055-0876. 1-800-827-6836.

www.bakerscatalogue.com

Honey Chocolates

For a fast acting medicine and that appeals to your sweet tooth, try this incredible sugar-free treat.

Ingredients:

For a recipe without refined sugar:

• 1½ lbs. Unsweetened chocolate

• 3 cups honey

• 1½ cups cannabis butter

• Ground or chopped nuts (optional)

For a recipe with some refined sugar:

• 1½ lbs. Semi-sweet chocolate

• 1 cup honey

• 1½ cups cannabis butter

• Ground or chopped nuts (optional)

Tools:

• Crock-pot

• Wooden spoon

• Digital or candy thermometer

• 14”x18” baking sheet with one inch sides

• Parchment paper

Instructions:

Using high quality chocolate and the wonder appliance known as the crock-pot, you can make potent medicine that is a bit quicker acting than other edibles.