Laurie + MJ: 7 Steps to Making the Perfect Canna-butter

Canna-butter or oil are only as good as the cannabis you make it with. Some people like to make a mild butter and use it to spread on their toast, or add a teaspoon (about 4.93 milliliters) or two to a smoothie or bowl.

If you go the smoothie route, be sure to freeze the fruit before adding — there’s no need for ice, so there’s no watered-down smoothie sadness. Some folks prefer to make a seriously potent infused butter and add it to a recipe, perhaps at ¼ teaspoon (about 1.23 mL) increments.

But seriously, the stronger the weed the stronger the butter, so plan accordingly.  Going overboard is not fun. At Laurie and MaryJane, our motto is, “don’t fear the edible.” Lab-tested cannabis allows for perfect experiences every time. You need to find your dose, and we will help you do that. Stay tuned.

For now, follow these directions and you will make the best butter your weed will allow.

Making Canna-Butter

Be sure to decarb the cannabis before making the butter. That means that you need to bake the cannabis on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, for 40 minutes at 240 degrees.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks butter*
• 1 ounce cannabis flower or shake, ground and decarboxylated

*This recipe uses 4 sticks of butter for every ounce (28.35 grams) of marijuana, or a ratio of 1 stick of butter (4 fluid ounces, or 1.25 mL) to 0.25 ounces (7.09 g) of marijuana. So, if you’re using a half-ounce of weed that’s about 2 sticks of butter.

Materials

• Medium saucepan
• Heatproof glass bowl
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Cheesecloth
• Twine (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. You can vary the amounts, but be sure that the marijuana is always floating 2 inches, or about 5 centimeters, from the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the butter. After the butter has melted, add the marijuana. Once the cannabis is added, the heat should be turned down, very low, to barely a simmer. Cook for three hours.
3. Set up a bowl to hold the finished product. There are a couple of ways to strain the mixture. For one, you can use a deep heatproof glass bowl with a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Or, you can also tie a double layer of cheesecloth around a large heatproof bowl with twine, making it taut across the top. Strain the marijuana butter over the bowl, carefully avoiding spillage.
4. When the saucepan is empty, carefully undo the twine, pick up the cheesecloth from all four sides and squeeze out all of the remaining butter.
5. Allow the canna-butter to cool at room temperature for about one hour. Place in the fridge until the butter has solidified and separated from the water. The THC and other properties have attached to the butter, and you are just about there.
6. Run a knife around the edge and lift the butter off the water.
7. Place upside down on your work surface and scrape off any of the plant matter and milk solids. Your canna-butter is ready to use. Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.