Cannabutter is exactly what it sounds like, cannabis-infused butter. It's simple to make, you can do it at home and then use the butter to cook and bake your favorite meals and baked goods, just with a little something extra in them.
Cannabis refers to two separate plants, hemp and marijuana. Hemp has higher levels of CBD, the molecule of cannabis known as cannabidiol that does not produce the feeling of being high. Marijuana has higher levels of THC, the molecule that does make you high.
Marijuana and CBD products can be purchased at medicinal or recreational dispensaries. Unregulated CBD and hemp products are also available in dedicated shops and drugstores around the country. CBD wholesale web pages and Instagram accounts are abundant. The tools for finding a quality supplier for CBD flower wholesale or CBD isolate wholesale are right at your fingertips with the use of social media.
Many users prefer to smoke or vape their cannabis, but a growing number of people are finding delight in cannabis-infused food known as edibles. Whether you smoke or eat cannabis, the medicinal values are consistent. CBD is used to treat pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression and insomnia. If you happen to prefer food to smoking, then edibles are for you.
Here's how to make the CBD cannabutter right in your own kitchen.
Ingredients and Supplies
• CBD hemp flower
• Butter
• Water
• Cheesecloth
• Sauce pot
• Oven
• Wooden mixing spoon
• Medium or large bowl or container to store the cannabutter
Step-by-Step
1. Determine the Potency You Want
The amount of cannabis used depends on how strong you want your edibles to be. Potency is measured in milligrams (mg) of CBD. Novice cannabis users may find comfort in a dosage starting around 10 mg per serving. But everyone is different and there are many factors that contribute to proper dosing. Age, gender, weight and your overall wellness goals all play a part. Some users may have upwards of 100 mg per dose.
So let's get down to the math of it. If you are making a batch of 12 brownies (the classic edible treat), and you want each brownie to be 20 mg, you will need 240 mg total (12 brownies x 20 mg each). When purchasing cannabis from your dispensary or hemp store, the potency of the flower will be measured in percent of THC or CBD. For example, a gram of hemp with 23% CBD can be made into an edible with 230 mg of CBD (1 gram = 1,000 mg, 23% of 1,000 mg is 230 mg). Once you've determined the potency you want in your edibles, it's time to decarboxylate the flower.
2. Decarboxylate
This is possibly the most forgotten step in making cannabutter, but it's incredibly important. Cannabis flower contains the precursors to THC and CBD, THCa and CBDa. To decarboxylate is to remove the carboxylic acid group from a compound (the ‘a’ in THCa and CBDa). The process of "decarbing" cannabis makes it ready for consumption.
To decarb flower, preheat your oven to 240°F (any higher can burn important parts of the plant). Place a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet and spread the cannabis over the sheet. The average time in the oven is about 30 minutes, but this can vary with the age of the flower. Fresh cannabis with more moisture might take longer while older, dryer cannabis requires less time. Every 10 minutes or so, stir the flower around on the baking sheet so that all sides are equally exposed. It's done decarbing when the color changes from light green to a darker green.
3. Grind
Using a hand grinder, grind the cannabis coarsely. Don't overgrind it and make the cannabis powdery.
4. Stove Top
In a sauce pot, combine equal amounts of butter and water (for example, 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of water). The water helps regulate temperature and will be separated out later. Once the butter begins to melt, add the ground cannabis to the mixture. Keep the temperature at a low simmer, between 160°F and 200°F); you never want to bring the mixture to a boil. Occasional stir the pot, so to speak. This process will take from 2.5-4 hours.
5. Strain
Take a piece of cheesecloth and stretch it over the container you wish to store your cannabutter in. Once the water/butter/cannabis mixture has cooled down a bit, pour it over the cheesecloth and let it strain. Don't squeeze the cheesecloth.
6. Refrigerate and Separate
Once the mixture has been strained through the cheesecloth, it's time to refrigerate. After a few hours, the water and the butter will separate. Drain the water and now you have a tub of ready-to-use cannabutter.
Time to Bake/Cook
Now that you have your CBD cannabutter, it's time to bake or cook your favorite treats. Be mindful of dosing by calculating how much cannabis you used, how much cannabutter you have and how many treats you plan to make using that butter. For example, if you used CBD flower with 24% CBD and made 1 cup of cannabutter, that cannabutter has 240 mg in it. Using the whole cup of cannabutter to make a batch of 12 brownies will result in brownies with 20 mg of CBD each. Now you're fully ready to make your favorite edibles.
