Cannabis-Infused Sugar

Get sweet on medicated sucrose

While cannabis can take the edge off a sugar rush, infusing the sweet stuff in the first place might stop it from happening altogether. Canna sugar also makes it easy to medicate low-fat sweets that don’t use enough butter or oil to carry a proper dose. Swapping in infused sugar for butter or oil also can improve the flavor of edibles—even those that do use substantial fats. The best way to infuse sugar is to use a tincture. By the time it’s deployed in a recipe, little to none of your flower’s green flavor remains. Even delicately flavored foods can be successfully medicated without the taste of cannabis overpowering the dish. Beyond recipes, infused sugar makes a convenient and discreet way to medicate all sorts of foods, such as coffee, tea, lemonade, cereal, cinnamon toast or fresh grapefruit, just to mention a few. The same method can be used for infusing brown sugar.

STEP 1: Decarboxylate the cannabis. To activate the THC, spread crumbled cannabis in a thin layer on a baking sheet, cover with foil and heat for one hour in a preheated 240 F oven.

STEP 2: Make an alcohol tincture from the decarbed cannabis. Be sure to use higher proof alcohol, preferably Everclear, or other food-grade 191-proof liquor. The higher the proof, the less water it contains. Too much water can turn sugar into a gummy mess. Place 1 ounce crumbled cannabis and 1 1/8 cups alcohol into a canning jar, cover and shake. Store in a cool dark cabinet and let steep for a minimum of four days. Shake the jar once or twice each day. After steeping, pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or through a fine mesh yogurt strainer. Refrigerate.

STEP 3: Use the tincture to infuse the sugar. Combine 1 cup sugar with 1/4 cup tincture in a bowl and mix thoroughly. It is normal for the mixture to be grainy. Spread in a thin layer on a clean, dry baking sheet and heat for about an hour in a preheated 200 F oven, removing the pan to stir the sugar every 15 minutes. When all the alcohol is evaporated, the sugar will have a dry consistency, and maybe some lumps. Give it a spin in a blender or food processor, or alternately press through a sieve to return to a sugar-like texture. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

By Cheri Sicard
Photography by Eva Kolenko