Chocolate makes everything better. Weed brownies are chocolatey, fudgy, nutty (if you prefer to add some nuts), decadent, and just plain yummy. Plus, they mask the taste of the weed well, too! 

Cannabis-infused chocolate brownies seem to be as old as time (or so we think)—if you hear the words “a cannabis edible,” your mind probably goes straight to brownies. 

If you’ve never made weed brownies before (we forgive you), then you’re in the right place. We share all the tips and tricks you need to whip up something delicious with a kick. 

The Colorful History Of Weed Brownies

Weed in edibles is nothing new. Chinese emperors drank cannabis-infused tea. Nomadic tribes in Morocco enjoyed a hash jam. Intellectuals in mid-19th century France favored hash in their coffee. 

But weed brownies aren’t that old either. While no one knows their “origin,” the first mentions of pot brownies can be traced to 1954 when Alice B Toklas published The Alice B Toklas Cookbook. 

The cookbook contained a recipe for Haschich Fudge, which was more like a jam-goo ball and devoid of chocolate. However, the idea of weed brownies made its way to mainstream Americans. 

It turns out that Alice’s friend, a painter by the name of Brion Bysin, shared the recipe with her. But this may be a rumor. 

Jump forward to 1974, where Brownie Mary (or Mary Jane Rathburn), an IHOP waitress, sold weed brownies out of her home and from a basket at a grocery store. 

Brownie Mary also volunteered at HIV and AIDS support groups, soup kitchens, and clinics. She baked some of her cannabis-laced brownies to help AIDS patients in the LGBTQ community with symptoms of nausea and loss of appetite.  

Together with Dennis Peron, a medical marijuana activist, Brownie Mary helped lobby for the legalization of medicinal cannabis. 

Inadvertently, Brownie Mary popularized the pot brownie we know and love today, even though she was arrested at least three times for owning illegal cannabis.    

The Number One Tip For Perfect Weed Brownies

Making chocolate weed brownies isn’t as easy as simply mashing up some cannabis flowers and adding them to baked brownies. You can probably do this, but you won’t get high. 

Cannabis can only be potent in edibles (and make you feel wonderful) if decarboxylated. Decarbing your weed means you bake it to convert THCA, the non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, to THC, the chemical that gives you a high. 

Decarbing cannabis removes a carboxyl group from the cannabinoids. This process enhances the cannabinoids’ ability to interact with receptors in your body. 

So when you smoke weed, it’s the heat that a lit joint produces that decarbs the cannabis. You need to decarboxylate your cannabis separately before adding it to the cannabis edible recipe. Your product will be weak or possibly even inactive if you don’t.  

One way to decarboxylate your weed, so it’s ready to be used in your brownie recipe is to make cannabutter or cannabis-infused oil.  

Step 1: How To Make Cannabis Butter

The instructions for some recipes state that you should add your weed directly to the hot butter. However, we take a different approach. 

Adding your cannabis to the hot butter makes your butter taste more like weed. Following our recipe ensures this doesn’t happen. 

Store the remaining cannabutter in your fridge if you have extra cannabutter (also called weed butter) left after making the yummiest pot brownies. Use some in your tea or coffee, spread some on toast, or make weed popcorn. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter 
• 1 cup water 
• ¼ to ½ ounce (7-14 grams) cannabis 

Step One: Decarbing Weed

• Preheat the oven to 245℉. 
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper, so the cannabis doesn’t stick to your tray. This also prevents you from losing any precious weed that may stick to the baking tray. 
• Place your cannabis on the tray and stick it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. 
• Every 10 minutes, lightly shake the buds. This exposes more of the cannabis’ surface, so you decarb all of it equally. 
• When 30-40 minutes have passed, take the baked weed out of the oven. 
• Grind the weed coarsely by hand.    

Step Two: Infusing The Butter

• In a small saucepan, add the butter and water. 
• Let the butter and water simmer on low until the butter has melted.
• Add the ground cannabis. 
• Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 hours and stir occasionally. If you have a thermometer, ensure the heat of the mixture remains between 160-200℉. 
• Let the butter mixture cool.
• Line a funnel with a tea towel or cheesecloth and place the funnel over a mason jar. 
• Pour the cooled cannabis-infused butter mixture over the funnel and let it strain. Don’t squeeze the tea towel or cheesecloth as this may push weed plant material into your mixture; this will negatively affect the taste. 
• Place the mason jar in the fridge. If you see excess water at the bottom of the jar, remove the solid butter and then drain the water. However, the butter needs to refrigerate for at least an hour before draining the excess water. 

Alternatively, you can also use the slow cooker method to make cannabutter. 

Tasty Brownie Additions

If you like to experiment in the kitchen, why not add one or two of these ingredients to your pot brownies to make them even more interesting: 

• ½ chopped, roasted nuts
• Three minced mint leaves
• One teaspoon of fine sea salt (instead of the kosher salt)  
• One teaspoon of ground cinnamon   
• ½ cup peanut butter chips 
• ½ cup fudge 
• 1 cup mini marshmallows   

You can also add some of these ingredients on top of the batter. 

We get it if you don’t have time for all this work. You can use a store-bought brownie mix and substitute your cannabutter for the amount of oil or butter the box’s recipe calls for. 

How To Store Your Weed Brownies

You can store your brownies for quite a while if you aren’t having a party or want to share them with your friends. 

Maximize how long your pot brownies stay fresh by wrapping them in plastic wrap or foil. This prevents them from drying out. 

The brownies will last for one to two days if you leave them in an airtight container on the kitchen counter. In the fridge, they’ll keep for about a week, while if you freeze your weed brownies, they’ll last for four to six months. 

How Do You Calculate Dose With Weed Brownies?

The potency of your cannabutter and thus your weed brownies depends on the strain you used (sativa vs. indica), how long you cooked it for, and at what heat. There’s about a 12 to 30 percent THC loss when you bake your weed. 

Use a low THC strain for a mellower experience. For example, if you have half a gram of weed at 14 percent THC, and you follow our recipe for the best weed brownies, the nine squares of brownies together will have 70 mg of THC, while each portion will have 7.78 mg of THC. 

This is a very light dose. However, the strength that works for you is unique to you. 

So, test the potency of your cannabutter and edibles, so you know how strong your pot brownies are, and spread a bit on some warm toast. Wait an hour or so after eating the toast and see how you feel. Then you can increase or decrease the dosage depending on the “test result.” 

Get Mellow With Weed-Infused Brownies

Whether new to weed brownies or an experienced edible consumer, pot brownies never get old. And for a good reason. 

Chocolate and weed is a winning combination, and you can experiment with ingredients to make the best weed brownies.