As the cannabis industry continues to grow and expand, one product remains as timeless and legendary as it was in the early days of the underground countercultural cannabis community: the weed brownie.

Several brands on the market today offer their take on this age-old classic, but few things are as satisfying as making your own big batch of cannabis brownies at home. 

Knowing how to make your own edibles is incredibly valuable for you as a consumer, especially if you opt-out of smoking cannabis. If you want to learn how to make pot brownies, or are just looking for a new weed brownie recipe to test out, you’ve come to the right place.

How to incorporate cannabis into any recipe

Before you can learn how to make weed brownies – or really any cannabis-infused edible – you must first learn how to create the base. Unfortunately, marijuana brownies don’t come together by mixing melted butter, chocolate chips, and chunks of flower. The first step for successful (and potent) cannabis edibles requires decarboxylation: a.k.a., the process of activating the plant’s THC so your edibles can actually have an effect. The type of cannabis (strain, potency) will play a role in the edibles’ effects, so choose wisely.

This simple but time-consuming process involves combining your cannabis products with regular butter or oil, slowly cooking the two together until the THC releases into the base to create infused butter or oil – that good good.
Once you’ve prepared your cannabis butter or oil, you’re ready to infuse just about anything edible with THC (see below for our how-to!).

Nichole Dickson’s Favorite Weed Brownie Recipe

When it comes to a high-quality pot brownie recipe, your first step is to choose a base that works best for you and your general brownie taste preference. 

“You can infuse almost any oil depending on what you’re using it for,” said Nichole Dickson of the award-winning edibles maker Evergreen Organix, also the Professor of Edibles at Cannabis Community College. 

“You may want to consider something with a higher smoke point if you are going to be using it to sauté. Either way, keep in mind you and your home will smell like cannabis.”

Once you’ve selected your base – and mentally prepared yourself for the powerful scent that will definitely linger for hours or even days – it’s time to make that infused oil or butter. Here is one of our favorite and most reliable weed brownie recipes, courtesy of Dickson.

Cannabutter/Oil Ingredients

• Baking pan or baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cheesecloth
• ½ pound of unsalted butter or oil of your choice
• ½ ounce of cannabis
• Mason jar

Cannabutter/Oil Directions

1. The first (and most vital) step is to bring your cannabutter or canna-oil to life. First, preheat the oven to 220 F, line your baking pan or sheet with parchment paper and spread the ground cannabis flower all over.
2. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until it’s lightly toasted and aromatic. Next, it’s time to infuse the decarboxylated flower with your butter or oil. Place the sticks of butter or your oil into the pan, making sure all of the flower is fully coated before returning to the oven for about 90 minutes. 
3. Once that’s done, remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and use the cheesecloth to strain the oil/butter into the mason jar. Voila! You’ve just made your first batch of cannabutter/oil. The hardest part is over, and now it’s time to get creative.

Weed Brownie Mix

• 1 four-ounce bar of dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup cannabis butter or oil
• 2 cups of sugar (or honey/another sugar substitute)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of cocoa powder
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Weed Brownie Directions

1. Now that your infusion is ready to go, bump up the oven to 350 F, greasing another baking pan or sheet or lining with parchment paper and setting aside.
2. Using a microwave-safe large bowl, combine your cannabutter/oil with half of the chopped chocolate, melting it in 30-second increments and whisking in between until the mixture is completely smooth. Next, mix in your sugar or sugar substitute until thoroughly combined, whisking in the eggs and vanilla extract next.
3. Once that’s mixed together, it’s time for the dry ingredients. Add in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and remaining chopped chocolate, folding everything in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Your batter will be thick and viscous. 
4. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly in the baking pan, making sure the top is flat and ready to bake. Insert the pan into the preheated oven, baking for 30 minutes. Once your timer is up, do the toothpick test in the center to ensure the batter is moist and crumby. If it’s still wet, your brownies need to go back into the oven – but keep checking every two minutes to make sure they don’t overcook.
5. Finally, remove your moist, crumby, cannabis-infused goodies from the oven and place them on a wire rack until they are completely cooled. Once that’s done, you’re safe to cut your delicious brownies into squares and enjoy. As always with cannabis edibles, go low and slow with your consumption – especially if you’re a newer consumer. Edible highs can be really intense if you aren’t careful. Remember, you can always consume more later, but if you’ve gone too far up front, it’s impossible to take that back.