It is always fun to make festive meals with friends and family to celebrate some holiday cheer during the holiday season.  This year, make the holidays more festive with this holiday-friendly edible.

Cooking with Cannabis is easy for the most part.  With a few minor adjustments to any traditional holiday recipe, you can infuse Cannabis into your holiday meals.

Step One: Preparing your Cannabis for Cooking

To prepare the Cannabis for cooking, you will first need to activate the compounds found in Cannabis through a process called decarboxylation.  Please don’t panic; it is not complicated.  The decarboxylation process means heat-activating your Cannabis to create a chemical change that “activates” the cannabinoids.

To decarboxylate your Cannabis, you will need:

• Finely ground cannabis flower
• A baking tray
• Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Line your baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Lay out your cannabis flower on the paper, spreading them out evenly.
3. Place the tray with the cannabis flower in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes.
4. Remove the cannabis flower and allow it to cool.
5. Store your decarboxylated cannabis in an airtight container, such as a glass Mason jar.

Now that you’ve prepared your Cannabis for cooking through the decarboxylation process, you are ready to bake your favorite cannabis-infused holiday recipes:

Cannabis-Infused Honey Fennel Gingerbread

This recipe makes a single 2-pound gingerbread cake.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces canna-butter (see recipie below)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup full-fat plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

Make canna-butter at least one day ahead of time:

1. Add water and 1 pound of butter to a saucepan and simmer at low heat. As the butter melts, add in 1 ounce of your decarboxylated ground cannabis.
2. Maintain low heat and let mixture simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour cannabis-infused butter in airtight container and keep in the fridge to harden.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Place 6 ounces of cannabis-infused butter and honey in a medium saucepan on low heat until the butter is melted (you will have leftover butter that can be used later).
3. Remove from heat and add the olive oil, milk, yogurt, whisking until mixed. Place aside to cool.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and baking soda.
5. Place the fennel seeds into a small skillet set at medium-low heat for a few minutes to toast. Transfer them to a cutting board and crush the seeds.
6. Add the crushed fennel, fresh ginger, and eggs to the honey mixture in the saucepan. Mix well.
7. Pour the honey mixture into the dry mix, one-third at a time, whisking gently between each addition.
8. Pour combined batter into loaf pan and spread out evenly. Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is shiny and golden and inserted knife comes out clean.
9. Remove pan from heat and allow it to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before placing it on a rack to cool another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.