How To Make Pot Brownies: Step-by-Step Recipe
A delicious, long-lasting, and smoke-free way to enjoy cannabis, the quintessential pot brownie—or “happy brownie” as it’s been called throughout the years—has been refined and perfected over decades and can now be found in as many variations as there are cannabis strains.
Infused brownies are a fun and convenient way to consume cannabis, and though you can always find pre-made options with fancy ingredients lining dispensary shelves, making your own at home can be well worth the time and effort. After all, who doesn’t love a warm, gooey brownie fresh from the oven? Add a dose of THC, and you’ve got the perfect after-dinner dessert or midday treat.
If you’ve never made weed brownies before or want to refine your recipe, read on for our easy, tasty cannabutter and pot brownie recipes. With just a few ingredients, you’ll be on your way to chocolatey and stoney bliss.
Decarboxylating Your Cannabis
There are a couple of things you’ll need to do before you can actually start making pot brownies. If you’re starting with raw plant material, the first step is to decarboxylate your cannabis.
What Is Decarboxylation?
Decarboxylation is the process that activates the cannabinoids in your cannabis. Mainly, it converts non-intoxicating THCA into activated and intoxicating THC through gentle heating.
Once decarboxylated and consumed in an edible, THC transforms further into 11-hydroxy-THC as it passes through your digestive system with effects that can feel more potent and last for several hours. The effects from edibles are usually felt between 30 - 45 minutes after ingestion, but it’s recommended to wait at least 90 minutes from the first dose to the second dose to avoid consuming too much too quickly.
How to Decarboxylate Cannabis
You can easily decarboxylate cannabis in your oven. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to get you on your way:
- Preheat the oven to 225°F
- Roughly grind up your flower and spread it out over a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper
- Set a timer and place the baking sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes
- When finished, remove and let cool. Your finished flower should have a light brown tinge to it
Pro Tip: Too high of heat or too long in the oven, and your cannabis will go past THC activation and into useless burnt flower. So keep a careful eye on your cannabis and check on its progress periodically.
How to Make Cannabutter: Step-by-Step Guide
The amount of decarbed cannabis and butter you specifically need will depend on how much butter you want to make and how potent you want it to be. This can involve a bit of math, but this nifty Scientific Edibles Calculator is a great alternative for those of us who aren’t so good with numbers.
Materials
- Ground decarbed cannabis
- Butter or oil
- Double boiler or slow cooker
- Cheesecloth
- Mason jar
Homemade Cannabutter Recipe
- Melt butter or put the desired amount of oil in the top pan of your double boiler with water on bottom
- Once melted or heated to a low heat of roughly 225°F—low to medium-low heat stove top or low heat in a slow cooker—add your decarbed cannabis
- Stirring occasionally, let the cannabis and butter infused together for at least 2 and up to 6 hours.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, but do not allow it to fully cool. It should still be runny for the next step
- Place the cheesecloth over the top of your mason jar and slowly strain the plant material from the melted butter or oil into the jar
- Place a lid on your Mason jar for storage. If saving for later, the butter and oil can be kept for the same shelf life as their non-infused counterparts
Do You Need Cannabutter to Make Weed Brownies?
In theory, you could just toss your decarbed bud directly into your brownie mix, but this method tends to make edibles taste too weedy and skunky. Additionally, there’s a good chance you’ll end up biting directly into little chunks of bud when you eat your brownie, so it might not be the best textural experience.
Instead, to make the best-tasting homemade weed brownies, you’ll want to use your decarboxylated bud to make cannabutter or canna-oil first and then infuse it into your recipe by wholly or partially replacing the non-infused butter with your infused option.
How to Make Weed Brownies
Now that you’ve gone through the steps of decarbing your cannabis and infusing it into your cannabutter, it’s time to make the brownies.
Materials
- Two mixing bowls, medium and large
- A wooden mixing spoon or spatula
- A whisk
- A saucepan
- A square baking pan (about 8 inches)
- Cooking spray or cooking oil
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (or pre-made brownie mix if you’re in a pinch)
- Two large eggs
- ½ cup cannabutter
- One teaspoon vanilla extract
Step-By-Step Pot Brownie Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or otherwise lightly grease the baking pan. Set aside.
- Gently melt your cannabutter in a saucepan set to low-medium heat, removing from the heat as soon as it’s melted. Allow to cool for five minutes
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder (or brownie mix)
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cannabutter, and vanilla extract until light and frothy
- Sprinkle the dry mixture into the cannabutter mixture and stir until just combined
- Pour it into a greased baking pan, spreading the mixture evenly throughout the pan
- Place the pan in the oven and let it bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean
- Allow brownies to cool for at least an hour
- Cut the brownies up into individual squares according to the desired number of servings and potency
Shop DC’s Best Cannabis for Homemade Weed Brownies
Looking for some high-quality cannabis perfect for baking brownies or other edibles? Visit our dispensary today or check out our online menu and shop a wide selection of premium cannabis flower that are great for baking, vaping, and smoking. Don’t forget to ask about our excellent deals and discounts so you can make tasty treats without breaking the bank.
Want to learn more about cannabis edibles? Check out our edibles product guide for more.
