Psychedelicatessen: Ganja Ginger Snap

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

The edibles business in Denver is blowing up, according to Peggy Moore at Love’s Oven Bakery. Legalization has allowed thousands of people to try cannabis for the first time, and understandably, many of these newbies would like to avoid smoking, seeking out discreet comestibles instead. With the rush of cannabis virgins comes a need for newly designed products containing lower doses, with well-designed packaging to direct consumers on how much to eat and what to expect. Love’s Oven Bakery prepared for these developments, rolling out products ready for the newly imposed regulations governing the legal pot market, such as a cookie containing only ten milligrams of THC.

“We no longer make 100 milligram cookies for the recreational market,” Moore says, “People want to enjoy the whole ginger snap.” Along with explosive growth that sent sales rocketing, Love’s Oven is not only working at capacity to keep up with demand, but also seeking to maintain its handcrafted, home baked ethos in a world that’s rapidly going corporate and selling out to the highest bidder. “We hope to be true to our roots,” Peggy says, “even while we’re bursting at the seams!” Packed into a 750 square foot production space, Love’s Oven employs 17 people, including two classically-trained pastry chefs who churn out more than 20 different infused baked goods for sale at recreational and medical outlets.

Along with rapid growth, Love’s Oven has adapted successfully to a whole new raft of regulations intended to tame this burgeoning new industry. “As a responsible purveyor, we welcome regulations,” Peggy maintains, “We’ve been through two formal health inspections.” Staying ahead of the curve is important to the team at Love’s Oven, and the company was the first business to require all items to be sold in tamper-proof, child-resistant packaging. The future is bright for Love’s Oven, and Peggy’s dream is to open a full-service storefront bakery where patrons can choose their infused baked goods and get them wrapped up to go in a pretty box!

Most popular with cannabis consumers is their S’Mores brownie, followed by the Chewy Ginger Snap cookie that Peggy has graciously shared the recipe for! These cookies are moist, soft, full of incredible ginger flavor and absolutely scrumptious! At Love’s Oven, they crystallize their own fresh ginger, but you can easily find crystallized ginger in health food stores. The strength of these cookies will depend on the THC content of the cannabutter you are using at home, so remember to go slow and only eat a small amount of the cookie until you know how it will effect you. The intense ginger in these cookies is medicinal in its own right, and together, cannabis and ginger work to ease nausea and upset stomach.

Chewy Ganja Ginger Snap

Ingredients:

-4.5 cups all-purpose flour

-2 tsp baking soda

-1 tbsp ground ginger

-1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

-1 tsp ground cloves

-1.5 tsp salt

-1 cup cannabutter, melted

-1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

-2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling dough

-2 large eggs

-7 oz crystallized ginger, cut into small chunks

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together with  whisk to incorporate all spices evenly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cannabutter, molasses, and sugar. Cream the butter/sugar mixture until fluffy and smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the flour mixture into the wet mix slowly, until almost fully incorporated, and then add the chunks of crystallized ginger. Mix until dough is nice and shiny.

Roll dough into 25 balls and roll in white sugar. Press down slightly. Bake at 325ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, until the top of the cookie starts to crack slightly.

Let cool on a rack and enjoy!