I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing several cannabis cookbooks over the years and trying their various recipes. Some are better than others for different reasons. The best cookbooks excel in quality of recipes, pictures and ways of incorporating the active ingredient (like butter, oil, tinctures and the like).
Baked is a very simple, straightforward book all about deserts and sweets. Fudge, candy, cakes, cookies and bars are all featured. The cookbook has traditional recipes along with variations for those who have dietary preferences. Some are sugar free, while others are gluten free, dairy free and even vegan.
Here’s what I really like about this book!
- The price. It can be downloaded as an E-book ($12) but the paperback is only $16. Very reasonable.
- The pictures are beautiful.
- The recipes are delicious and there’s something for everyone.
- The physical size and layout. This book will fit perfectly on the counter top and each recipe takes up two facing pages. So when the book is opened on the counter, everything needed is right there so you do not have to flip through in the middle of baking.
The recipe for butter is easy and straightforward and this medicated butter is the foundation for all the recipes which are simple, delicious, short and sweet.
I would not recommend this book for a brand new cannabis chef. Other books I have read go into much more detail on how to make butter, oils and tinctures, which is really the most important part of baking with cannabis.
The section on making “Baked” butter in this book is very brief and completely lacking in details regarding temperatures and the “chemistry” of decarboxylation of cannabis in order to make it potent and active in recipes.
Certainly the author’s version of butter will get the job done, but those of us with a bit of experience in the kitchen will realize that some recipes should start with decarboxylated product, while others are better starting with fresh, non-activated cannabis as the baking process will do the job.
Experience tells me that while the recipes in the book will certainly taste delicious, the medication effect will tend to be very heavy and sleepy, due to the method of making the butter and the further degradation of the THC and cannabinols from the heat of the baking process.
Having said that, an experienced ganja chef will find a treasure trove of great recipes within the pages of “Baked.”
I recommend this book as a recipe library for cooking cannabis sweets. I also caution the cook who gets this book to either have a great deal of experience working with cannabis in the kitchen or to purchase another book that details the process of making butters and oils and how to determine when a recipe should start with activated or inactivated cannabis. Small changes to the amount of time cannabis is heated will have dramatic effects on how a person experiences the “high,” and unfortunately this information is lacking in Baked.
But if it’s tasty, easy recipes and ideas you’re after, this book won’t disappoint!
Author: Yzabetta Sativa
Book Review by: Doc Bud, 420 Magazine Product Reviewer
Publisher: GreenCandyPress.com
Purchase Baked Here: Baked: Over 50 Tasty Marijuana Treats
