High Holidaze Pot Cookie Party

GANJA GINGERBREAD COOKIES

The ultimate holiday cookie gets a makeover thanks to the addition of cannabis.

• 5½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup cannabis-infused butter

• 1 large egg

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 cup unsulfured molasses

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• ¾ tsp. salt

• 2 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

• ½ tsp. ground clove

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• Store-bought decorator’s icing (optional)

Stir flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together, and set aside. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat cannabis butter, brown sugar  and egg until smooth, then add molasses and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed and stir in dry ingredients until smooth. Don’t over-mix; the dough should be firm, but not crumbly. Divide dough into thirds; flatten each piece into a disk, wrap in Saran, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, knead one refrigerated disk to ⅛ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to make shapes and transfer to a large greased baking sheet, about one inch apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until firm to touch. Cool slightly before transferring to a rack. When completely cool, use icing to embellish. Makes 36 cookies.

RASPBERRY REEFER RUGELACH

Tender cream cheese dough encases sweet raspberry filling in these irresistible bites.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup cannabis-infused butter

• 8 oz. cream cheese

• ½ cup raspberry jam

• 1 egg beaten, plus 1 tbsp. water

• ⅓ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, beat cannabis butter, cream cheese, vanilla and ⅓ cup of the sugar at medium-high speed until well combined. Don’t over-mix. Divide dough into four disks, wrap in Saran and chill for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time while keeping the remaining ones chilled, roll out dough to form a 9-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spread about 2 tbsp. of jam over the surface of the circle. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to slice the circle into 12 equal wedges. Roll each wedge into a cylinder, starting at the wide outer edge. Place dough on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, brush with egg mixture and sprinkle tops of cookies with remaining sugar. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 48 cookies.

PUFF PUFF PFEFFERNUSSE COOKIES

Kief’s spicy notes blend well with this traditional German cookie.

• 2 cups flour

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• ¼ cup melted butter

• ⅓ cup honey

• ⅓ cup sugar

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 gm. decarboxylated kief

• ¾ tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp. ground cardamom

• ½ tsp. anise seeds

• ½ tsp. allspice

• ¼ tsp. ground clove

• ½ tsp. ground black pepper

• ¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together honey, the sugars, melted butter and eggs until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour and remaining ingredients, then mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well blended. Form cookies by rolling about 2 teaspoons of dough into small balls. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before rolling in a generous dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Makes 32 cookies.

STONY CINNAMON ROLL COOKIES

Delicate nutmeg-spiced cookie dough rolls around a cinnamon sugar filling to create pretty swirls.

COOKIES

• 1½ cups flour

• ½ cup cannabis-infused butter, softened

• 1 egg

• ½ tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

• ¾ cup sugar

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING

• 1 tbsp. melted butter

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt, and set aside. In another bowl, combine cannabis butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture. Gather the dough and form it into a disk, wrap with Saran and refrigerate for at least an hour. On a floured surface, roll dough to about ⅛ inch thickness and brush with melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, and sprinkle this mixture evenly over the dough. Starting at a long edge, roll dough into a log. Wrap with Saran again and freeze for about 15 minutes, until firm but not frozen hard. Preheat oven to 375°F. Take dough out of freezer and cut into ½-inch slices. Place slices about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes 24 cookies.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

Chewy peanut butter cookie cups filled with rich dark chocolate ganache make for decadent medicated mouthfuls.

COOKIES

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cannabis-infused butter

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp. salt

• ¾ tsp. baking soda

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING

• 10 oz. dark chocolate chips or chunks

• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray two mini-muffin pans. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda, and set aside. Use an electric mixer to beat the cannabis butter, peanut butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Roll dough into balls (one tablespoon each) and place one in each muffin cup. Press your thumb into each one to make an indentation. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and use a small spoon to press a well into the cookie to form the cup. You must do this while the cookies are hot and pliable. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. To prepare the ganache, bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour heated cream over chocolate chips in a small bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes without stirring, then whisk until smooth and well combined. Scrape bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the chocolate is combined. Pour ganache into a small ziplock plastic bag (or a pastry bag if you have one). Snip off a small corner of the bag so you can pipe the ganache into each cooled cookie cup. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 32 cookies.

COOKIE PARTY TIPS

• Most cookie doughs can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until you’re ready to roll and bake them.

• Serve refreshments like coffee, tea, cider and hot chocolate, and maybe even prepare some light sandwiches (see “High Tea” recipes in Issue 23).

• At the party, set out trays, platters and tongs for people to display and collect their cookies.

• Keep the overall guest list to 10 or fewer people. Make sure that everyone brings different cookies.

• Have paper, Saran wrap, bakery boxes and other packaging ready for guests to take their cookies home in. Most baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for five days or more.

POT-COOKIE DOSING

Since most cookie recipes use butter, it’s easy to swap in cannabis-infused butter instead. Depending on your recipe, you may want to combine cannabis butter along with non-medicated butter in order to achieve a proper dose. This free online class shows the way to estimate how many milligrams of THC are in cookies: bit.ly/2howoeO.

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