CBD Coconut Bites. Depending on where you live you might be seeing more CBD food and drinks around these days, which can be very expensive! But you can make your own for a fraction of the price. I’ve been making these for a while now, I was trying to get the right amount so that you could just have one piece, but I think two is better for the calming effects. A while back I worked with a hemp farm in Southern Oregon and posted the recipe for making your own CBD coconut oil which is pretty easy. Once you have that done these come together in no time. Recently I made them using a regular size muffin pan and they came out more like a peanut butter cup size and produced six pieces. The mini muffin pan will give you a dozen. They’re delicious, and pretty healthy too, made with CBD coconut oil, honey, chocolate, oats, nuts, good stuff. I’m looking forward to more CBD recipe development in the year ahead! Recipe below, enjoy!

CBD Coconut Bites

1/3 cup (1.5 oz) Dark Chocolate, chopped in small bits
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) dry roasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup Cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup toasted oats
1/3 cup CBD coconut oil
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup toasted coconut

In a non-stick skillet toast the oats until golden and set aside, then toast coconut for a minute or two until golden brown, set aside to cool.

Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners for 12 pieces, or regular size muffin pan for 6 pieces.

In a food processor place the nuts, cocoa and salt. Pulse a few times until the nuts are roughly chopped.

Place the CBD Coconut oil and honey in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until mostly melted, then stir in the nut mixture and toasted oats.

Fill each cupcake tin with the mixture and top with toasted coconut flakes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator or cool place.

CBD Infused Coconut Oil is surprisingly easy to make thanks to Jeff Danzer’s recipe. I’ve seen CBD Hemp infused oil for sale online and it’s very expensive. Not only is making your own more economical, you have more control over the type of oil you want to use and the strength. Why CBD Infused Coconut Oil? I’ve been meaning to cook with Cannabis for some time now. I’ve been reluctant because it’s hard to know the exact potency unless it’s been tested in a lab, or you try your recipe yourself and take the whole day off as a precautionary. That can be a bit much. But CBD is derived from Hemp and it’s a whole different experience.

I’m working with a farm in Southern Oregon, Cascadia Blooms, to develop some recipes with the Hemp they grow. If you’re not familiar with CBD, Cascadia Blooms has a great FAQ section here, basically CBD Hemp will relax your body without the psychoactive high you would experience with THC in Cannabis. Adding it to your food or drink is a great way to consume it.

You can use the CBD Infused Coconut Oil the same way you would use any Coconut Oil. I wanted to try it without making a whole batch of cookies, so I first tried about a teaspoon in coffee (people are doing that? yes) but I didn’t like it, I drink my coffee black but if you use cream and sugar you might like it, in any case the 1 teaspoon did nothing for me, so then I smeared a heaping tablespoon on toast, and that was the right amount. (Keep in mind it takes at least an hour to feel the effects, so best to take your time and see how you feel after 1-2 hours.)

The effects? Within about an hour I felt relaxed, it definitely reduces anxiety. As a result I felt more focused on whatever I might be doing, it’s kind of incredible how many distractions there are, never mind social media and email, sometimes I have a hard time focusing because of my mile-long list of things to do. I can’t seem to walk through any room in the house or the yard without seeing something to do, fix, clean, update, really around every corner (and our house isn’t even messy!). I think that creates a kind of low level anxiety for me. But with CBD it felt different, I know those things to do are there, but I’m not anxious about it. That’s the most profound effect that I experienced. It lasts for about 4 hours and tapers off.

I’ve included the cleaning process below but it is optional as Cascadia Blooms takes care to keep their Hemp flower clean, organic and ready for food consumption. The cleaning process also produces a lighter tasting oil which helps to control flavor. The coconut oil I infused had very little smell or flavor of the Hemp, however you might want to skip that process if you want that flavor depth, it will be determined by the flower you use, but it generally has an herb-like flavor, a little peppery that would be suitable for savory dishes. The entire process is done in a French Press, which I think is rather brilliant, it worked out great for steeping and straining. This is first of a series of CBD Recipes as you will need the infused ingredients to work with (butter, coconut oil, olive oil, etc). I look forward to sharing more with you!

You can order online everywhere in the U.S. (except Idaho and South Dakota, sorry!) and the Hemp is shipped in double-lined sealed bags so that there is no odor at all in your mailbox. You can read more about their packaging and shipping info here.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Cascadia Blooms, all thoughts and opinions are my own, the recipe below provided by Jeff Danzer.

So let’s get started!

Break the large hemp flower into popcorn size pieces

Soak the hemp flower in French Press with distilled water, submerged, for 2-3 days until water is clean, changing water twice a day

Run through salad spinner to remove excess water. Dry and decarb on baking sheet, bake 60-90 minutes until dry (foil should be loosely covering the pan, not too tight or it will steam!)

Add the oil and dried Hemp flower to French Press

Steep in boiling water for 2 hours

Strain oil through French Press into sterile jar or container

As I mentioned above, I recommend a tablespoon per serving for optimal effect, but use your own discretion as to what works for you best

Hemp CBD Infused Cooking Oil

4g Hemp Flower
8 ounces Olive or Coconut Oil
Distilled water
French Press
Pot of boiling water

Hemp CBD Infused Cooking Oil - Cleaning and Drying

Soak

Pick the buds off the stem. In a French Press Completely immerse the buds and stems in distilled water and soak for 2 to 3 days, changing the water twice a day until the water in the French press is clear.

Rinse

Remove the herb from the French Press and place in a salad spinner. Spin for about 30 seconds to remove excess water.

Dry and Decarb

Preheat oven to 240º F.

Spread the hemp evenly over a large baking sheet and place a large piece of light aluminum foil loosely over the top of it. Crimp the edges to keep in any odor (but don’t seal it too tight or it will steam.) Bake for 60 to 90 minutes until completely dry. Your Hemp is now clean and ready for infusion into your butter, oil, alcohol or vegetable glycerin.

Hemp CBD Infused Cooking Oil - Simple Steeping Method

Place Hemp flower buds in French Press along with the oil. Fill a pot halfway or so with water and bring to a boil. Your water line should not be much higher than the oil level in the French Press.

Stand the French Press in the pot of boiling water and let steep for 2 hours. Adding more water as needed if it boils down.

Strain the oil through the French Press into a sterile jar or container. It is now ready to use.