April 20th, also written and known as 4/20, is just around the corner. Cannabis enthusiasts often celebrate this date by smoking or otherwise consuming more of the plant than they normally would. If you’re such a person and have scheduled a trip to a state where it’s legal, you may want to consider giving this cannabis biscuit recipe a try.
Before you start cooking, you’ll need to stop by a dispensary (don’t forget your ID!) and a grocery store. At the dispensary, don’t worry about trying to buy the fanciest-sounding or most expensive strain they sell. For cooking, any good quality cannabis will do. You’ll still want to choose among indica, sativa and hybrid varieties based on personal preference, but don’t be afraid to go with whatever’s most reasonably priced. Regarding how much to buy, consider how many people will be eating the food you’re making. How much an individual cares to consume varies widely from person to person, but as a general rule, it’s wise not to eat more than you think you could smoke in a day. When eaten as opposed to smoked, cannabinoids take much longer to take effect. The last thing you want to do is eat too much without realizing it and end up in a scene from *insert stoner comedy* that, to you, will feel like *insert horror movie.*
Prior to visiting the grocery store, you’ll want to look up instructions on making cannabis butter. These are easy to find online (simply search “how to make cannabis butter”) and easy to follow, so I won’t go into the details here.
The variables you’ll want to adjust for are the amounts of butter and cannabis. This recipe calls for ½ cup medicated fat (it’s possible to use any of the listed fats, but butter is simplest), so that’s how much you’ll use unless you’re multiplying the recipe or planning to cook something else as well. That quantity of butter can easily absorb the cannabinoids from up to 1/4 ounce of cannabis. However, remember the earlier warning about overdoing it. Don’t hesitate to use 1/8 ounce or even less. The point is having a good time, not getting as high as humanly possible.
Finally, here’s the biscuit recipe — enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) very, very cold medicated fat (butter, lard, vegan margarine or vegetable shortening)
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped rosemary
- 1/8 cup freshly chopped thyme
- 1 pinch of sugar
Instructions
Put a mixing bowl in the freezer and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and/or non-stick spray.
Combine all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, mix well and place bowl back in freezer.
Cut the chilled/nearly frozen fat into tiny cubes. Shredding with a large hole cheese grater also works well.
Remove mixing bowl from freezer. Add the chilled fat to the bowl in three batches. To incorporate the fat, use either a mixer, a pastry cutter, or two large forks. Smash the fat into the flour mixture until it resembles large, rough crumbs.
Mixing by hand is also an option but is messy. If mixing by hand, chill your (very clean) hands with cold water and work quickly so the fat doesn’t melt.
Add the herbs and then water (reserving a tiny bit) to the dough and mix until it comes together. It will be sticky at first and have visible chunks of fat in it. If it’s too dry, add more water; if the dough won’t stop sticking to the side of the bowl, add more flour.
Pinch the dough into 2-inch balls and put on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Optional but recommended: At the 8-10 minute mark, take the biscuits out of the oven and quickly brush with melted fat. Sprinkle generously with garlic salt and return to oven to finish.
Tips
- Keep everything as cold as possible.
- Err on the side of under mixing.
- If substituting dried herbs, use less (1 tbsp of rosemary, 1 tsp of thyme) and crush or grind them first, otherwise they’ll be really tough.
This article was originally published in Little Village issue 262.
