Psychedelicatessen: Caramel Cashew Cookies

Welcome to Psychedelicatessen, the weekly column that explores the world of cannabis cuisine, featuring recipes from the great chefs and ganjapreneurs who fuel our appetite for adventure.

This sweet, salty cookie is one of the best sellers at Morsel Bakery, a gourmet edibles company operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kyle Morsel, a graduate of Oaksterdam University, first experimented with several cannabis businesses, including a vegan, gluten-free cannabis-infused granola bar under the Hearts of Hemp label, before starting Morsel in 2011. He was encouraged to become a ganjapreneur by the many connections he made at OU, crediting the famed institution of “higher learning” with “initiating [him] into the cannabis industry.”

As an activist, the idea of a nutritious, hemp-based granola bar appealed to him, and while it’s a “tough sell in a market that’s used to high-potency, sweetened edibles,” positive feedback from patients seeking healthy options motivated Kyle to continue promoting the benefits of hemp. With Morsel Bakery, Morsel hopes to make edibles that appeal to a wider patient base, such as a new forthcoming fudge chocolate treat called an “Elevator” that packs 180 milligrams of THC. Known for bite-size, high-dose cookies of 60 mg each that arrive in packs of four, Morsel Bakery items can be found in 30 collectives around San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento. Gourmet flavors include White Chocolate Pistachio, Double Chocolate Chunk and Soft Ginger Molasses. For those who live elsewhere, try this delicious recipe for Sea Salt Caramel Cashew Cookies at home!

Meanwhile, as his small-batch cookies fly off of the shelves, Kyle will still pursue his healthy hemp granola company. “I believe healthier options will become increasingly popular as cannabis goes mainstream,” he says, “we will see it incorporated into health food and fitness products.” Until then, enjoy these decadent cookies in moderation!

You can meet Morsel’s founder, Kyle Morsel, at the High Times Medical Cannabis Cup on February 8. He will be speaking on the “The Art of Edibles” panel at 5pm in the Seminar Dome.

Morsel Bakery’s Sea Salt Caramel Cashew Cookie

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups brown sugar

-2 tsp Watkin’s Caramel Extract*

-1 cup cannabis butter

-2 large eggs

-2 3/4 cup flour

-3/4 – 1 1/2 tsp sea salt (+ 1tsp for topping)

-1 tsp baking soda

-3/4 cup crushed cashews and/or whole cashews for topping

*Caramel extract is available at larger grocers. You can substitute with vanilla extract and ¾ cup chopped caramel pieces, which is what we did, using Hammond Caramels.

 

Preparation:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together brown sugar, caramel extract and cannabis butter.

2. Crack eggs in separate container (to avoid egg shells) and incorporate into mixture.

3. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together in a separate mixing bowl. Add to mixer bowl a 1/2 cup at a time while the machine continues to blend.

4. Add your chopped cashews, and chopped caramel pieces, if using. Morsel Bakery cookies are small and “garnished” with a single whole cashew, but we made a more rustic version. For a consistently nutty cookie, you can add 3/4 cup — 1 cup crushed cashew to the dough.

5. Refrigerate the dough for 4-6 hours (or as long as overnight). Dough that has had time to set will make it easier for you to weigh out balls of dough and the cookies will bake up firm without spreading out too much.

6. Scoop and roll out the dough into 1-2 inch wide balls and place onto (unbleached) parchment paper.

7. Sprinkle sea salt on top before baking.

8. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown on top and medium brown at edges. Makes about 24 large cookies or 48 Morsel sized cookies. Eat only half of a large cookie or only one small cookie, and wait two hours before consuming any more cookies.