Cannabis Candy: The Sweet Way to Enjoy Edibles
Cannabis candy is an incredibly popular way to ingest marijuana edibles, and it’s easy to see why. Candy edibles are not only extremely palatable thanks to their substantial dose of sugar, but they are also extremely convenient for many reasons.
Read any canna candies review, and you’ll learn how easy it is to carry around a few doses in your bag or pocket. Unlike baked goods or candy bars, there’s little danger of the product becoming mushed beyond recognition. The sugar in canna candies also makes them much more stable, meaning you can leave them out in the heat or air without worrying nearly as much about spoilage. Sure, your pot gummies may turn into a puddle inside their packaging, but they are just as fun to eat.
Best of all, some confections like cannabutter candy are incredibly easy to make. Other preparations, like making hard cannabis candy, can require more finesse. That extra effort will pay off though, because hard candies, mints, and lozenges can be absorbed sublingually, which means they kick in faster and make dosing control easier.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about candy made from cannabis, including how to make medicated hard candy or cannabutter candy, keep reading!
How Popular Is Cannabis Candy?
Cannabis candy edibles are incredibly popular — just not with local, state, and provincial legislatures. The U.S. state of Colorado was the first to put tight regulatory controls on cannabis confections. Now, products that look like familiar candy shapes are banned. The danger, medical experts warned, was that children could easily get confused about the product’s nature. If they saw gummy bears or other sorts of “fun” shapes, they might get excited enough to try them despite warnings from parents or labels.
Clamping down on cannabis candy, which made up half of Colorado’s cannabis sales, was certainly an unpopular move, but probably an appropriate one. Many stories have been circulating in the media about children who can’t read or didn’t comprehend the THC warnings getting into their parents’ candy stash.
One poor girl in Albuquerque, New Mexico even unknowingly brought some marijuana gummies to school to share with friends. The children reported feeling dizzy and showed signs of being high.
California joined Colorado in banning certain candy shapes likely to appeal to children, adding a ban on cartoon character packaging and marketing for good measure.
The good news is that you can still get gummies, THC hard candies, and other treats — they just can’t look remotely like the real thing.
Which Edibles Get the Best Canna Candies Review?
Cannabis edibles are huge now. In fact, the Specialty Food Association listed edibles as this year’s top food trend, period.
Gummies are always top sellers, especially the ultra-potent Kushy Punch Gummies. They come in flavors sourced from a variety of strains, including indica, sativa, and a hybrid. Each packs 100 mg of THC.
According to one survey of Coloradans, 54 percent of cannabis users have tried gummies, making them more popular than baked goods, chocolates, or hard candy.
Cheeba Chews are another great choice, since they are compact and less tacky feeling than gummies. Sour strips from Voodoo Sours are similarly tasty. They come wound up and pack 375 mg per pouch.
For chocolate lovers, there’s no shortage of delicious cannabis-infused chocolate treats. Products range from unassuming candy bars to ultra-indulgent gourmet truffles that wouldn’t look out of place at the French Laundry.
But, as is the case with everything, the most glowing review is in the eye of the beholder. You’ll just have to sample the products yourself to find one that sticks to your palate.
How to Make Cannabutter Candy
Cannabutter candy is the simplest confection to make at home. Like all good caramels, you just need butter, sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and a bit of sweetened condensed milk for consistency.
You’ll Need:
- 23 cm x 33 cm baking pan
- Medium saucepan
- 240 ml (1 cup) cannabutter
- 530 ml (2 ¼ cups) brown sugar
- Pinch of coarse sea salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 415 ml canned sweetened condensed milk (around 1.5 cans)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make It:
- Start with a whole cup of cannabutter, which can be made using our quick cannabutter recipe. Melt it slowly over low heat in a saucepan.
- Stir in 2 ¼ cups of brown sugar along with a dash of sea salt.
- Wait until the sugar has dissolved, and then pour in a cup of light corn syrup.
- Open a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and stir it in slowly, bit by bit, until the entire mixture is homogeneous.
- You can then up the burner to medium heat and cook the mixture until it begins to firm. This should take around 12 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently and keep a close eye out for scalding.
- Turn off heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour your mixture into a pan and spread with a spatula until evenly spread.
- Wait for candy to cool. After around 30-40 minutes at room temperature, you can place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Once cooled, cut the candy into uniform shapes and serve or store in an airtight container.
How to Make Medicated Hard Candy
Hard cannabis candy is a bit harder to make, if you’ll pardon the pun. That’s because this type of candy is made from a special type of sugar syrup that must be created with careful control over temperature and time.
You’ll need to start most recipes with a tincture, which is an infusion of marijuana in alcohol. You then create a clear candy syrup by mixing sugar and corn syrup in filtered water. The mixture is brought to a boil, and its temperature is measured with a candy monitor until it reaches a temperature of 149 C (300 F).
Immediately take the syrup off the heat source and let cool to 121 C (250 F). Stir in your tincture and any extract flavorings you want to add. Before the mixture can cool, pour it into molds.
Molds can take the form of lollipops, mints, globe-shaped lozenges, you name it! You can find these molds in your local specialty kitchen store or restaurant supply. Or, you can order them online.
How Long Do Hard Candy Edibles Take to Kick In?
The greatest part about making your own hard cannabis candy is that they are absorbed through your mouth capillaries in addition to your digestive system. This dual effect makes them kick in a lot faster.
According to one Mic writer, he popped a few THC mints in his mouth in the lobby of a movie theater and started feeling their effects by the time the previews ended.
So, be adventurous and try out these store-bought and homemade delicious cannabis candies. If you want to find out how to purchase cannabis edibles and candy online, read this article.