Recipe: Coco-Cannabis Truffles

I enjoy being single most of the days of the year, but on Valentine’s Day – it’s all the more reason to indulge in these rich, coconut and vegan truffles while watching Netflix and chillin’ with my favorite dog-boy, Mac-A-roni, on a Sunday night. We’ll probably watch something uplifting, like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I have quite a tolerance to THC, so fair warning: these pack a wallop if made at full potency. And because these use dark chocolate, I’ll have to be especially careful that no puppy scarfs one down when I’m not looking. Chocolate is toxic to dogs. For an extra special treat, I swap out the vanilla extract for some Appleton’s Estate or another better quality rum.

Yield: Two dozen quite-potent truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao), chopped
• 1/4 cup THC-infused coconut oil (or a blend of THC-infused and plain coconut oil)
• Pinch of sea salt
• Either 3 tbsps water and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• or 2 tbsps water and 1 tbsp rum

For rolling:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate with oil and the water in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir in vanilla extract or rum and sea salt.
3. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish and refrigerate for about two hours. It should be firm, yet still workable.
4. With a 1-inch ice-cream scoop, melon-baller or a teaspoon, make 24 balls. Transfer each to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Coat hands in cocoa powder and roll balls to make smooth. Refrigerate on sheet at least 10 minutes. Roll truffles in toasted coconut before serving.

Storage:

Truffles can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before coating.

How to Make THC-Infused Oils:

THC is oil (and not water) soluble. Because THC escapes at temperatures higher than 325 degrees Fahrenheit, recipes must never bring food to higher temperatures, i.e. no deep-fry.

There are two main methods that i recommend for preparing the THC oil called for in all recipes: The Slow-Cooker and the Double-Boiler method. Other preparations tend to burn either the oil or the marijuana and are not recommended.

Slow-Cooker Method

Place 5g of vaped-marijuana or 2.5g fresh marijuana for every 1/2 cup oil in a slow cooker. If you are using butter, add 2 tbsps water. Turn on slow cooker at low setting and let sit for 24hrs, stirring occasionally. Strain through a cheesecloth into a mason jar. Store in the fridge. For butter, let sit in the refrigerator for an hour to let the fat and oil separate and then scrape off the butter.

Double-Boiler Method

Same as slow-cooker method, but using a double-boiler set to low. Check water levels regularly. Please, do not leave the house with an unattended element or burner on.

Yield: About 1/3 cup oil for every 1/2 cup originally added