Psychedelicatessen: Sweet & Sticky Cannabis Cinnamon Rolls

“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.”

A burning desire for independence leads countless entrepreneurs into the expanding edibles industry, as smaller producers vie for shelf space in an increasingly crowded market. While it’s becoming more difficult to bootstrap such an enterprise as bigger competitors move in, many young people are still determined to make a name for themselves in the cannabis space.

One such couple, Chrissa and Ross, are driven by their passion for the plant, along with a desire to be their own bosses. Chrissa, a 29-year-old former bartender and hairstylist from Nebraska, met Ross shortly after moving to Los Angeles, where the two struck up a romantic relationship, followed by a business partnership. A longtime member of NORML and SSDP, Ross had experience working in dispensaries and maintaining boutique gardens.

Together, the pair dreamed up Sloth Bars, a small craft bakery specializing in just a few products, including the original eponymous 200 mg THC caramel, brown sugar and chocolate bar, along with a 100 mg THC lemon bar. Using medicated versions of award-winning recipes from Chrissa’s midwestern mother, the fledgling brand is growing quickly through glowing word-of-mouth recommendations and Instagram-only advertising.

After just one year in business, you can find Sloth Bars in a dozen SoCal dispensaries, and they are currently working to expand distribution into the Bay Area.

Impressed by their accuracy in dosing, the dynamic duo was named “most promising newcomer” after the February 2016 SoCal Cannabis Cup, where the charming sloth logo and eco-friendly packaging enticed judges.

“I love sloths,” Chrissa said, explaining her branding strategy. “We wanted to do a late-night decadent dessert that would turn you into a sloth!”

Feeling that the slow-moving, chill and smiley sloth was a creature emblematic of the edibles experience, Ross said “designing Sloth Bars was about a narcotic effect” intended to battle intense pain, insomnia and provide deep muscle relaxation. A friendly relationship with The Clear concentrate crew enabled Sloth Bars to use their fully activated, flavorless extract as a psychoactive ingredient, making accurate dosing much more straightforward.

“It’s easy for the body to absorb and utilize the THC,” Ross explained. “We deliver a guaranteed dose, it’s almost foolproof.”

Using hash oil makes this recipe for “Cinnabud” Rolls easier to dose, and the hash flavor melds seamlessly with the cinnamon and sugar for a truly dank brunch treat. If you’d like to surprise breakfast guests with a freshly baked batch of these delicious Cinnabuds, make the recipe through to the step where the raw rolls are on baking sheets, then simply refrigerate overnight and return in the morning to pop them in the oven, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Baking cinnamon rolls makes the house smell so amazingly good that it could be recommended as aromatherapy, and making these breakfast staples brings back cherished childhood memories for Chrissa.

“Chili and cinnamon rolls are a meal my mom would prepare quite a bit,” Chrissa shared, explaining the seemingly bizarre Nebraskan custom of pairing sweet rolls with a spicy, savory stew. “I’m pleasantly surprised that my parents were encouraging, even my mom wants to try a Sloth Bar this year!”

“Cinnabuds” – Sweet & Sticky Cannabis Cinnamon Rolls                                                                   

Makes approximately 18 rolls with 50 mg of THC each (potency will vary depending on the THC percentage of your hash and your yield).

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water (115ºF)
8 tbsp unsalted melted butter
3/4 cup whole milk (115ºF)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Mix yeast and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl, then add water, stirring gently. Let sit until yeast has doubled in size, about 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix melted butter and warm milk together, then add to yeast and mix in additional sugar and egg. In another bowl, mix the flour and salt. Slowly add the flour to the dough with the mixer on low. Using the dough hooks, knead dough on low speed for 7 minutes.

Place dough onto a floured cutting board, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm oven until dough has doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. (If your dough doesn’t seem to rise, you can wait a bit longer or go ahead regardless.)

Place dough on floured countertop or cutting board. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle shape until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Hash Cinnamon Filling Ingredients:  

8 tbsp unsalted melted butter
1 gram premium dewaxed cannabis oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon

Melt butter and mix in cannabis oil until completely dissolved. Brush hash butter onto dough. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly onto buttered dough and roll dough into a cylinder shape. Cut rolls into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Place rolls onto a well-greased pan. Put into a warm oven for 45 to 60 minutes until rolls have doubled in size. Remove dough from oven. (At this point, you can refrigerate rolls overnight if desired.)

Preheat to 350º F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool rolls on a rack.

Vanilla Glaze Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 – 3 tsp milk

Mix all ingredients until the consistency is thin and smooth. Drizzle onto the rolls and enjoy!