Cannabis Kitchen: How to Make Weed Gummy Bears?
Potheads with a sweet tooth would be happy to know that you don’t have to wait for Christmas to treat yourself with a bit of cannabis candy. Weed-infused gummy bears are increasingly popular edibles and can be easily found in most dispensaries. However, these weed sweets most often come with a rather salty price tag, and making them at home can result in a gooey mess if you don’t have the right recipe. Luckily, we do! While there is a pretty straightforward recipe to make cannabis gummies at home that have a store-bought quality, there's a science behind the process. So, first check the cannabis gummy bear recipe and then you can put your chef hat on and give it a go.
How are weed gummy bears different from regular gummies?
To understand the science behind cannabis gummy bears, we first need to know a thing or two about the basics of candy making. The process for making regular, non-THC gummy bears includes cooking sugar until it melts with a little bit of water, adding gelatin, and waiting for the mixture to set in. So the first instinct is that to make weed gummy snacks, you would just need to add THC concentrate and that’s about it. Well, not exactly! The thing is, if you add any kind of oil and fat to the mixture, it will turn into a chew soft caramel kind of texture. And THC concentrate is always oil, so if you add a cannabis concentrate to the mixture, the candy will not set properly. So the question remains how to make starchy cannabis gummy bears that don’t melt at room temperature? - With the help of little science and a process called “emulsification.”
What is emulsification?
Emulsification is a crucial part of the process to get the real gummy-like texture. Emulsification means to combine the cannabis concentrate with another ingredient while the candy mixture is being cooked. The emulsification agent in our case will be lecithin (either sunflower or soy lecithin). Lecithin is an extract made from fatty substances and oils and is what binds the THC concentrate and gelatin mixture together. You can find lecithin either in a liquid or powder form, and it can be made from a variety of ingredients. Sunflower and soy lecithin are actually the most common types.
How to make weed gummy bears?
Now that we’ve figured out the secret ingredient to make the perfect store-bought weed gummy bears at home, the rest of it is a “piece of candy.”
Here's what you’re going to need to make your yummy weed jello masterpiece...
Before getting into the recipe, let’s first see what we’re going to need to make the cannabis candy:
- Any kind of cooking pot
- Gummy bear mold or any sort of candy mold
- Spatula
- A kitchen syringe or a measuring cup with a spout
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Whisk
- Stove
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of gelatin (i.e., Jell-O). The flavor of your choice
- 2.5 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin powder
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/4th cup corn syrup
- 1/4th cup cannabis-infused oil (check out the recipe here)
- 2 teaspoons soy or sunflower lecithin
Method:
Step 1: Prepare the gelatin. Sprinkle the unflavored and flavored gelatin in the water and let it bloom for a minimum of five minutes. Step 2: Add the combined gelatine water and your corn syrup in a saucepan, and let the mixture to reach a minimum simmer over low heat. Step 3: Whisk constantly but slowly to prevent the gelatin from boiling. If a white foam begins to form at the top skim this off and reduce heat slightly. Step 4: After the candy mixture has completely melted and combined, remove from the heat and let cool. Step 5: Once cool, add your cannabis-infused oil and soy/sunflower lecithin and stir to combine. Step 6: Spray the candy molds with a cooking spray, and you can additionally set the molds onto baking trays to make them easier to move. Step 7: Transfer the candy mixture into your kitchen syringe or use a plastic sandwich bag and pour in the blend inside of the molds. If things get messy around the edges, use a flat object like a bench scraper to go over the mold's surface and scrape away excess that spilled over. Step 8: Move the weed gummy bears molds to the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour. Avoid the freezer as extreme cold can keep the gelatin from setting. Step 9: Once out of the fridge, remove your weed gummies from the mold (they should feel firm to touch). Step 10: Place the candy onto a piece of parchment paper and let them air dry. The final step, or step number 11 in this case, it’s time to taste the jello fruits of your candy labor. Like other cannabis edibles, bear gummies will need their time to work around your digestive system. The strength of the weed oil you used while cooking will determine your weed gummy bears' strength. Give it some time to feel the unique effects of your jello snacks before proceeding with any other weed snacks, smokable cannabis, or alcohol. Happy holidays!
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