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Easy Cannasugar Recipe

This cannasugar recipe is an easy way to infuse cannabis into sweets and desserts.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 eighth ounce Cannabis flower *ground and decarbed
  • 1 cup White granulated sugar
  • 1 half-cup High-proof alcohol As close to 190-proof as possible

Equipment

  • 1 Cannabis grinder Scissors or coffee grinders work in a pinch
  • 1 Baking tray Standard cookie sheet
  • 1 Mason jar with lid
  • 1 Cheese cloth You can use a coffee filter in a pinch
  • 1 Large bowl
  • 1 Glass baking dish
  • 1 Parchment paper sheet

Method
 

  1. Step One: Decarboxylate your Cannabis
    Start by breaking up any large buds into smaller peices and spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to around 250°F and bake the dry herb for about 30-40 minutes. This process decarboxylates the THCA in the cannabis into THC, which is responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects. Without this step, your cannasugar recipe will be void of its “high” factor.
  2. Step Two: Cool and Combine
    Once you’ve decarboxylated your plant material, it’s time to let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to the freezer—yes, you can freeze marijuana—a simple but underrated step for a successful canna sugar recipe. For bonus points, try freezing your alcohol overnight, which will improve the canna sugar’s outcome even further. 
    Colder temps help preserve your flower’s cannabinoid and terpene profiles, allowing for a fuller-spectrum infusion when the time comes. On the other hand, cooling the alcohol reduces its ability to dissolve certain undesirable compounds—like waxes and lipids—which might cloud the tincture and affect its taste and texture. By keeping your pre-infusion alcohol and cannabis as cold as possible, you can minimize the extraction of these unwanted substances.
    As soon as your materials are adequately chilled (remember that the alcohol won’t solidify completely due to its high purity), combine them in a bowl, preferably metal, to maintain that chill even further. Gently mix the ingredients, aiming for a light-brown or golden hue. Avoid excessive mixing to prevent the tincture from turning dark green. Once the desired color is achieved, return the mixture to the freezer for an additional 15 minutes.
  3. Step Three: Straining the Tincture
    Next, you can remove your tincture from the freezer and strain it using cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Make sure you do this carefully, avoiding excessive squeezing. Excessive squeezing could release chlorophyll, which sullies the sugar’s taste later. 
  4. Step Four: Infuse the Regular Sugar
    Now, it’s time to turn your regular cups of white sugar into sugar wax—a.k.a., canna sugar. 
    With the cannabis strained away from the tincture, measure out two parts sugar and one part tincture. Place the sugar in your metal bowl and pour the tincture over it. Make sure your bowl is big enough for the tincture to fully cover the cups of sugar, leaving about an inch of alcohol on top. Once both ingredients are combined, stir the mixture until the sugar completely dissolves. 
  5. Step Five: Remove the solvent
    Once you’ve thoroughly mixed everything, it’s time to evaporate the alcohol. If you’re looking to expedite the process, you can utilize a food dehydrator set at 95°F—or you can cover the alcohol and sugar mixture with a cheesecloth and set up a fan nearby.
    Throughout this process, it’s important to continue stirring the mixture until the alcohol evaporates completely and the sugar is 100 percent dry. Depending on environmental factors like humidity and temperature, this can take anywhere from five to 48 hours. 
    Keep a close eye on the mixture, regularly checking the bottom for moisture accumulation. Use a metal spoon to test for dryness. Once the bottom is fully dry, the sugar should form a crunchy layer on top—in other words, the cannasugar is ready to use.
  6. Step Six: Enjoy
    Once your canna sugar has fully dried, it will form large clumps. You can break them apart with a metal spoon, your fingers, a food processor, or a coffee grinder.
    While breaking down these large clumps isn’t mandatory, it enables easier dosing for your beverages or any other recipes you want to prepare with the cannasugar. Once the sugar is refined, store it in a food-safe, airtight container until you’re ready to utilize it in your delicious cannabis-infused creations.