Women and Cannabis : Using Marijuana for Menstrual Relief
Edibles are simple to access for everyone in legal states. We have portioned, measured doses for our gummies and chocolates. These days, dispensaries are able to carry a lot more than just candy ! At Starbird, we have popcorn, syrup, and even flavorless pills to swallow with water. Gone are the days of eating a mysterious weed brownie and calculating the effects- they used to hit really hard or did nothing at all! However, we fully believe that ingesting edibles as real food is always more fulfilling than tiny, bite sized treats. With cannabutter, or cannabis infused butter, making edibles is actually very simple. Let’s explore the process of making cannabutter, and peek into some easy recipes to turn your night of grubbing into a fool proof stoner’s delight!
Our Budtender Kerri’s Magic Cannabutter!
What is Cannabutter?
Cannabutter is a delicious and potent infusion made by combining decarboxylated cannabis with butter, allowing the THC to bind to the fat molecules during gentle heating. This process extracts the cannabinoids effectively, making it perfect for creating homemade cannabis edibles. Not into dairy? No problem—you can also infuse cannabis into coconut oil, olive oil, or other vegan-friendly alternatives without sacrificing potency or flavor.
How Do You Make Cannabutter?
The process of making cannabutter is a bit elaborate, but if executed well it definitely pays off!
Here are some simplified steps that can help guide you through this recipe.
What do I need to make cannabutter?
1 Cup of Unsalted Butter
1 cup (or 7-10 grams) of cannabis flower
1 cup water
Cheesecloth or mesh strainer
Saucepan or slow cooker
Parchment Paper
Jar with tight lid for storage
Step 1 - Decarb Your Weed (Crucial Step, Do not Skip this!)
What is decarboxylation and why do you need to do it?
THC in raw cannabis is in its acidic form (THCA), which isn’t psychoactive. Heat is what “activates” it, converting THCA into THC — the compound responsible for the high. That’s why you can’t just eat raw nugs and expect effects, and why smoking, vaping, or cooking with cannabis always involves heat.
Decarboxylation sounds like intricate chemistry, but its actually very straightforward and simple.
Preheat your oven to 240°F
Break up your cannabis into small pieces. You can use a grinder, just don’t grind it too fine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the ground cannabis evenly
Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes
You now have decarbed cannabis ready to infuse in your butter
Step 2 - Infuse the Butter
In a saucepan, melt the butter with water over low heat
When melted, gently stir in your decarbed cannabis.
Simmer on low heat (160–200°F) for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Yes, this part is a bit of a drag. Just do NOT let it boil!
After simmering, let it cool slightly.
Step 3 - Straining
This is where we put that cheesecloth or strainer to good use!
Place a cheesecloth (or strainer) over a bowl or jar
Slowly pour the mixture through the cloth to filter out the plant matter
Let it drip naturally. If you squeeze the cannabis too hard, you also extract excess chlorophyll, tannins and other plant compounds that give your cannabutter a strong, bitter taste. This can make your edibles more nasty than tasty.
Refrigerate until solid. The butter will harden and rise to the too, and any water left will settle below and can be drained.
Step 4 - Storage
Label your jar cannabutter, so no silly accidents happen! Make sure to store in an airtight container to preserve freshness and potency. Cannabutter can also be pretty smelly, so this will help prevent your fridge from smelling like the inside of our Salem dispensary. Cannabutter will normally be fine in the fridge for 2 weeks or the freezer for 6 months.
Cannabutter by Sweetgrass Solventless
What Are the Best Ways to Use Cannabutter?
So now you have a bunch of cannabutter, but how do you cook up some delicious edibles? Everyone is gonna say brownies, but let’s expand our palettes a little. Butter, after all, is used in so many different dishes. There is limitless variety when it comes to cooking up infused foods.
Bear in mind that THC and other cannabinoids can degrade when baked or cooked at high temperatures. It can begin to degrade at 315°F, and can vaporize at 350°F. To avoid baking away all the THC, keep your oven temp at 325°F or below. If you are pan-frying or sautéing your food, it’s best to use a low to medium heat. Searing and deep frying usually destroy the cannabinoids, so those recipes unfortunately will not work. If your butter starts smoking, it's too hot!
Edibles are absorbed most efficiently when consumed alongside healthy fats, as cannabinoids are fat-soluble and bind readily to dietary lipids. Once ingested, your body metabolizes THC through the liver, where it’s converted into 11-hydroxy-THC — a compound known for its stronger and longer-lasting psychoactive effects compared to inhaled THC. To help you make the most of this process, our staff has put together a selection of recipes that are both simple and effective, designed to pair delicious flavors with the science of optimal absorption.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
This one’s a no-brainer — everyone loves chocolate chip cookies! They’re a timeless crowd-pleaser, and when infused with cannabutter, they’re even better. Plus, they’re easy to portion into individual servings, so you can control your dose without guessing. They also travel well, making them the perfect treat to bring to a party, share with friends, or stash away for your own personal enjoyment. For best results, bake them at a lower temperature to preserve the THC and keep your cookies potent. The combination of warm, gooey chocolate chips and that familiar cannabis kick is hard to beat. And honestly, nothing hits quite like milk and cookies — just remember, they’re delicious enough to tempt you into eating the whole batch, so pace yourself and enjoy the ride.
Rice Crispy Treats
Lighter than cookies but just as satisfying, these no-bake cereal bars are a quick win in the cannabis kitchen. All you need is cereal, marshmallows, vanilla extract, and a bit of cannabutter — though the beauty of this recipe is how easily you can customize it. Toss in chocolate candies, swirl in peanut butter, or scatter rainbow sprinkles for a fun visual twist. Instead of turning on the oven, you simply melt the cannabutter and marshmallows together until smooth, then fold in your cereal and extras. The hardest part might be resisting the urge to “taste-test” too much of the gooey mixture before it makes it into the pan. Once they set, you’ll have chewy, crunchy squares that are almost as much fun to eat as they are to dream up.
Coffee with Kerriann’s Magic Cannabutter added. It looks like a beautiful milky way!
Popcorn
Feeling lazy, worn out, and ready to just sink into the couch with a good movie? This is your go-to move. Melt a little cannabutter and drizzle it over a fresh bowl of popcorn, then sprinkle with sea salt for that perfect kick. If you want to step it up a notch (and sneak in something a little healthier), add a dusting of nutritional yeast — it gives a cheesy, savory flavor without piling on more dairy. You can also get creative with seasonings, like garlic powder, smoked paprika, or even a pinch of cinnamon sugar for a sweet variation. Whatever your style, just make sure you pick a nice long movie… you’ll want time for the effects to settle in before the credits roll.
Garlic Bread
Are you looking to liven up a pasta dinner? This might just be the most delicious way to do it. Whip up your favorite pasta — creamy Alfredo, hearty marinara, or a rich pesto — then pair it with homemade garlic bread that packs more than just flavor. Follow any basic garlic bread recipe, but swap out the regular butter for cannabutter, letting all that garlicky, herby goodness soak right in. The result? A warm, crispy, hazy side dish that might have you feeling pleasantly stoned before you even start thinking about dessert. Pro tip: make a little extra, because leftover infused garlic bread makes an incredible snack the next day… if it survives that long.
Baked Potato
Hear me out….this one is filling and cheap! Pop some potatoes in the oven on 400°F for about an hour. The high temperature is fine since we won’t be adding the cannabutter until the potatoes are completely baked. You can coat them with olive oil to get a nice crispy skin. Make sure to poke some air holes in them with a fork, so they don’t explode. (Don’t forget about them, they’ll burn into ash!) When they are done, slice them open and plop some cannabutter right on top. You can freestyle this however you like - keep it plain or add sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, bacon bits - anything goes here. It’s so easy, but these spuds will get you blasted every time!
Buffalo Sauce
We’ve listed some great desserts and snacks, but maybe you’d prefer to ingest in lower doses. Making a sauce combines the best of both worlds - you can add just a few drops for a microdose, or spice it up if you want an impactful, long lasting high.
This might sound weird, but buffalo sauce is the perfect thing to make with cannabutter. You can add it to almost anything - eggs, french fries, chicken wings - the list goes on. This tasty sauce is all butter, hot sauce and spices. It's easy to make, simple to store and it takes every dish to the next level. Just make sure you label the bottle when you’re done, so your cookout doesn’t get too cooked.
Artichoke Dipped in Cannabutter with Salt
This one is lightweight, healthy and not too indulgent! An artichoke is a fresh and satisfying veggie that is perfectly complimented with some melted butter on the side. And it's so simple to prepare! You just have to boil or steam your artichoke, and peel off each leaf to dip in cannabutter until you dig down to the delicious and tender heart. Slowly picking at the artichoke is a bit therapeutic if you’re patient, and getting to the center is satisfying without making you feel like you’re stuffed. If you want an extra kick, try it with some of the aforementioned buffalo sauce too!
Pancakes (or Waffles!)
There’s no rules about cannabis, and at Starbird, we absolutely encourage wake and bakes. Nothing will put a smile on your spouse's face like waking them up on a Sunday with a stack of pancakes. Mix up any pancake batter and grill them up as you usually would - of course adding bananas or chocolate chips for extra flavor. If you don’t want all that prep, this is easily done with some frozen waffles. When you’re ready to chow down, put some cannabutter between your stacks and on top with some maple syrup! You’ll be smiling and stoned before the sun hits the center of the sky.
Super Brownies from Cannabis Day in Canada, 2014. Photo by GoToVan licensed under CC BY 2.0.
You don’t have to stop with our suggestions — you could whip up anything from Chicken Pot Pie to Cinnamon Rolls! Cannabutter is incredibly versatile and can slip right into your everyday cooking, whether you’re making sweet treats, savory dishes, or something to snack on. It’s a great way to enjoy cannabis without constantly smoking, and it offers more variety than just reaching for another bag of gummies. Whether you try the hash-infused cannabutter from Sweetgrass Botanicals or follow our simple recipe to make your own, you’ll have a flavorful, potent ingredient ready to take your culinary creations to the next level.
Fly High!