Cooking with Cannabis: Get the goods on glycerin

In September, I talked about the greatness of cannabis tinctures, and this month we’re going to play with glycerin tinctures. Vegetable glycerin is cool stuff – derived from vegetable fats, glycerin is a syrup-y clear liquid that’s sweet and odorless. It’s also alcohol- and water-soluble, so it’s super easy to work with.

I get mine from Amazon, but it’s available in most organic groceries and health food stores. Make sure you get USP-grade, as that’s safe for cosmetic and food uses. This tincture differs from the alcohol tinctures not only in taste but in use. Because it’s sweet-ish, it’s great for sublingual use or as an addition to drink or dessert recipes.

Infused glycerin tincture

8 grams decarboxylated cannabis (If you use hemp, you’ll get a CBD tincture. If you use sativa, indica, or a hybrid, you’ll get a lovely, strong full-plant tincture.)

8 ounces USP-grade vegetable glycerin

Glass jar with lid

Slow cooker

Dishtowel

Cheesecloth

First, as always, we decarb. If you missed my article on fat infusions, what you need to do is heat your cannabis to remove the extra carbon molecule and make the cannabinoids bioavailable. I use a 1:1 ratio, so for 8 oz. of tincture, you’ll want to decarboxylate 8 grams of cannabis. Toast your cannabis in a 250-degree oven for 30 minutes on a lined baking sheet, remove and let cool. Then crumble your plant material into your jar with a lid and fill with the glycerin.

This next part can be a little tricky.

To prep, put a folded-up dishtowel in the bottom of the slow cooker. This is really important; if you don’t do this, the bottom of the jar can get too hot and burst, and then you’ll be very unhappy and unable to salvageable the tincture.

Put the jar with decarbed flower and glycerin in your slow cooker. Make sure your jar sits on the towel securely and that the lid to the jar is also secured tightly.

Add water to the slow cooker until it is about two-thirds the height of the jar. You don’t want to submerge it, just make sure all of the stuff in the jar is surrounded by water.

Turn the cooker on low and let the mixture work for 24 hours.

Shake the jar occasionally, and when it’s done, you’ll have a jar full of sweet, thick, brown-ish tincture. Strain through the cheesecloth and you’re ready to make all kinds of cool stuff, like a smooth and sweet dessert

Green P’Nut Butter Mousse

1 cup cold heavy cream (Get the highest butter fat content you can; 40% is ideal)

2 to 3 tablespoons THC glycerin tincture

¼ cup crunchy peanut butter (I recommend a quality brand with no added sugar)

¼ cup white chocolate chips, chopped, divided

¼ cup lightly salted shelled peanuts, chopped, divided

½ teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Large pinch of salt (optional)

Mint leaves to garnish (optional)

For the best result, make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are well chilled. Pour the cream into your cold mixing bowl and start to mix on low. With the beaters going, add the tincture, cornstarch, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and salt, if using.

When the mixture is about halfway to whipped, add the peanut butter and about half of the chips and peanuts. Whip until firm but still pillowy; be careful not to let it break or approach the butter stage.

Serve in glasses or dessert bowls, and sprinkle the rest of the peanuts and chocolate chips over. Garnish with mint!

Dosage note: If you use my 1:1 ratio, you’ll be getting approximately 100 mg of cannabinoids per gram before decarb. So, if you use 2 tablespoons of tincture, your dessert will contain around 200 mg total cannabinoids.