As a follow-up to last week’s Q&AÂ with Elise McDonough, author of The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook, I thought we should check out a recipe.Â
Jack Herer, the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a groundbreaking work about hemp that sparked a grass-roots movement, was a tireless champion of the cannabis plant. Herer used cannabis as a medicine and as inspiration while traveling the world inciting people to re-legalize the hemp plant so they could benefit from its myriad industrial uses, including food, biofuel, textiles, construction materials, and body-care products.
After undergoing double-bypass heart surgery in 2005, he was unable to smoke his favorite herb, so his good friend and colleague Mary Aught-Six baked up a batch of these heart-healthy hemp cookies for him to enjoy. Mary used whole rolled grains, hemp flour, weed-infused margarine, and Splenda sugar replacement to make a sweet treat thatâs also full of nutrition. These cookies are diabetic-friendly and low in saturated fat (if you use cannamargarine).
Something to consider before diving into cannabis cooking: When asked in a Huffington Post interview for advice for the budding cannabis chef, McDonough answered:
Low and slow. That goes for both eating and cooking. When you are eating, you want to start with a low dose and go slow. Wait an hour to see how it effects you. Same with cooking. Simmer low and slow.
Jack Herer Hemp Cookies
Yield: 24 Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) cannamargarine (or cannabutter if you aren’t looking for a low-fat recipe)
- 2 Ÿ cups hemp flour (available at health food stores or online at manitobaharvest.com)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ÿ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups Splenda granulated sweetener or equivalent natural sugar replacement
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3Â eggs
- 3 cups five-grain rolled cereal
- 1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup roasted hemp seed
- 1 cup golden raisins
Cooking Directions
- In a double-broiler, melt cannamargarine over medium heat. Continue heating over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cannabis is brown and crispy.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together hemp flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, blend the melted cannamargarine, brown sugar, sweetener, vanilla, and ž cup water together, Beat eggs and add to cannamargarine mixture, then stir into flour mixture. Add cereal, walnuts, dried cranberries, hemp seed, and raisins. Mix well.
- Form dough into walnut-sized pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be soft in the center, with light brown edges. Cool on racks.
