Puff: Mix it up for a Happy Dankmas and Marijuanukkah

The holidaze are upon us as we process a crazy year. I think the levels of stress we deal with daily is much more than ever before. Now is the time to let the power of weed relax and entertain us, especially at holiday parties. 

That holiday party could involve gathering all your friends and family together, or simply as you snuggling up at home for all three Lord of the Rings movies (extended versions, of course).

To start off our holiday celebration, we need a nice mocktail to feel festive. I contacted Kala Salazar at Manzanita Naturals for a suggestion, since I know she recently created a bunch of new mocktail recipes. She sent me the Fizz-tini, a tasty concoction that will fly you to the moon and back without the aid of Santa’s sleigh.

FIZZ-TINI Mocktail from Manzanita Naturals

5 ounces Non-Alcoholic Espresso Martini Mix 

1 ounce Manzanita’s Fizz 100mg Classic Cola 

Whipped cream

To mix: Measure and pour the liquids over ice in a shaker. Shake to blend and chill. Pour into a martini glass and top with whipped cream. Garnish with coffee beans or shaved chocolate.

I picked up the espresso martini mix at Bevmo for $3, the Manzanita soda at my local dispensary for $8, and then visited one of the most popular bartenders in the city David Delgado at the Cinch Saloon for his guidance. He was happy to oblige. 

We shook everything up, filtered out the ice, poured it into martini glasses, and garnished our drinks. We took a sip, and it was heavenly! 

The mix of the cola and espresso hit interesting chocolate notes, then the coffee flavor crept in, and finally the creaminess of the whipped cream swirled over the tongue. It definitely had a chilled hot chocolate vibe going on.

First, the sugar hit my system, and then the caffeine. Just as that giant rush started to ebb, the cannabis kicked in. Wow! If you don’t think you can get hopped up on a mocktail, you need to try one of these. Wheeeeee!

People will be gabbing and laughing away as they fly high on the Fizz-tini. It will be the hit of your party! They clock in at about 10mg THC per drink.

Now let’s make some tasty edibles. 

Simple Stoned Sugar Cookies

We all love holiday-themed cookies. If you are short on time. I recommend making them from a pre-made roll of sugar cookie dough. Buy your cookie dough, and then either slice it as usual or, if you want to be more fancy, roll it out and use holiday cookie cutters to make different shapes.

Use Kanha’s new Minis chocolate bites, which look like M&Ms, and whatever gummies you like to decorate your cookies. I used Space Gems but sliced them in half first for a gumdrop effect. 

Make a santa, a snowman, or an abstract ornament design. Whatever you feel like. You could even have a cookie making station at your party! 

Bake the cookies as directed on the package.

Just remember, there is weed in those candies, so make sure you keep the dosage to something that Santa can handle. We don’t want him crashing his sleigh after too many infused cookies and a Fizz-tini. 

Aim at 5-10mg and plainly mark how strong the cookies are for your guests to see.

Cannabis butter

If you want to get more into the holiday cannabis baking mood, you will have to prepare some cannabis butter. To do this, I consulted my trusty copy of The Weed Gummies Cookbook by Monica Lo.  It’s a fantastic place to start when you want to make your own edibles.

First you will have to prepare your cannabis for baking.

Decarboxylate your cannabis 

Decarboxylated cannabis is weed that is baked ahead of time, and it activates the phytocannabinoids which give the THC and CBD a higher potency. 

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Break your cannabis into pea-size chunks and scatter them evenly on the tray. Bake for 30 minutes.

Take the tray out and cool.

Making cannabis butter

2 cups of melted butter

2 cups of water

A quarter ounce or 7 grams of decarboxylated cannabis. 

To make: Place the water, melted butter and decarboxylated cannabis in a large mason jar and seal it tightly. 

Place the jar in a medium sized saucepan with water. Make sure the water does not reach the top of the jar. Clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Bring the water to a simmer keeping the temp between 200 to 211 degrees for three hours. Replace water when needed, and lightly shake the jar from time to time.

Take the jar out of the water and let cool for one hour. Prepare cheesecloth inside a strainer over a bowl. Pour butter mixture through the cheesecloth. Do not squeeze cheesecloth for excess liquid. It could make the butter taste bitter. 

Refrigerate overnight. Loosen the butter from the leftover water, and move it to another container. Keep the cannabis butter in the fridge sealed in a container until needed.

Now that you have cannabis butter made, let’s make a couple of sweet treats for your holiday party!

First up, let’s make something with chocolate.

Monica Lo’s Infused Chocolate Turtles 

60 roasted pecan halves

25 caramel squares

1 tablespoon cannabis-infused butter

2 tablespoons of heavy cream

¾” cup of dark or milk chocolate chips

¾” cup cannabis-infused dark or milk chocolate bar broken up into small pieces

Maldon salt to top.

To make: Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment. Arrange 15 piles of pecans. 

Melt the caramels, infused butter and heavy cream in a double boiler. Stir every minute or so with a silicone spatula until the caramels are silky smooth,10–15 minutes. 

(If you do not have a double boiler, you can make your own easily. Put some water in a larger saucepan and heat it to boiling. Place a smaller saucepan inside and let it float in the simmering water.)

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the caramel sauce over each pecan pile and let it harden.

Clean your double boiler, and reuse it for the chocolate.

Pour the melted chocolate over each pile of pecans and caramel. Sprinkle with salt. Let them harden.

Store your tasty turtles in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Next, infused peanut brittle. Growing up in Texas, my family would go on a holiday trip to a peanut farm nearby and buy bags of peanuts for gifts and recipes. Afterwards, my dad always made peanut brittle which I loved. I’m not sure what he would make of an infused version, but something tells me he would have a big piece and enjoy the buzz.

Infused Peanut Brittle 

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup (Karo) 

½ half cup of water

2 cups roasted peanuts or whatever nuts/seeds you like

2 tablespoons of cannabis-infused butter

1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla.

To make: Line a pan sheet with parchment paper. 

Measure out your peanuts, butter, baking soda and vanilla, and have them ready to go.

Add the sugar and water to a medium-size saucepan and stir well. Add the corn syrup. Stir. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture boils. Insert a candy thermometer (Don’t touch the bottom) and cook to 250 degrees. 

Add the peanuts and stir constantly until the temp hits 300 degrees. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter, baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will foam. Pour hot mixture onto the sheet pan and spread out.

Let it cool, and then break the brittle into chunks. 

You can up the cannabis content by sprinkling cannabis candies over the brittle before it hardens. Press gently.

So there you have it. 

The beginnings of a fantastic holiday-themed party for one or two dozen or more.

Be sure and put out some non-medicated snack items and water as well to balance things out.

If you need canna-stocking-stuffers, head to your local dispensary and shop all their fantastic holiday sales. 

The best thing you can do for the cannabis community right now is spend, buy, and toke!!

The key to the holidaze is to have fun with it. Try and join in and feel the love of your friends and family as we all celebrate the end of a crazy year. These will be the same people who will keep you sane as we journey onward into next year and all it will bring.

So let’s celebrate each other and get hella high while doing it.

Stoney Seasons Greeting from DJ Dank

Now it’s time to light up… and drink another one of those Fizz-tinis!