What Are Cannabis Caramels?
The name says it all. Cannabis caramels have the same recipe as traditional caramel candies, but with marijuana. Instead of using regular oil or butter, the cook uses infused oil or cannabutter. They also have the option of adding cannabis flourto a standard recipe for caramels.
You can buy marijuana caramels at a licensed dispensary that sells edibles. Most edibles come in dessert or candy form, so you’ll see them in dispensaries often. Caramels have a simple recipe and long shelf life. So, dispensaries that make their own edibles often take advantage of these benefits. Edible companies create plenty of candies and caramels, too.
When you eat a cannabis caramel, you get the medical benefits of an edible. While we used to associate edibles with recreational use only, many dispensaries sell “medibles” to their patients. These products not only taste good, but they also relieve a wide range of medical conditions.
Pros and Cons
Just like any medication, medical marijuana caramels have their benefits and drawbacks. The perks of cannabis caramels include:
- Flavor: Patients with a sweet tooth get to enjoy one of their favorite treats while they medicate.
- Comfort: Children and patients with certain disabilities sometimes panic when they see a pill or syringe. Meanwhile, a caramel offers familiarity and sweetness.
- Versatility: Infused caramels contain THC, CBD or both cannabinoids. Purchase or make caramels tailored to your symptoms.
On the other hand, cannabis caramels can also have drawbacks like:
- Nutrition content: Most marijuana caramels have high fat and sugar content. They won’t hurt most patients when eaten in moderation, but you might not want to use them as your main administration method.
- Cost: When you buy cannabis caramels from a dispensary, you have to pay a much higher price than you would for regular caramels. Edible producers work hard, and you need to compensate for their efforts in addition to materials.
- Accessibility: Not every state lets dispensaries sell edibles to patients, limiting your access to them.
We have good news for you, though! You can avoid all three of these cons by making your own cannabis caramels.
About Edibles and Cooking With Marijuana
Edibles work much differently than most forms of marijuana medicine. Two of the most popular administration methods, smoking and vaping, take effect very quickly. Meanwhile, you may have to wait up to two hours for an edible to provide full relief. The length of time it takes to feel an edible’s benefits often results in mistakes by beginners. Since edibles don’t kick in right away, some patients new to marijuana eat too much at once. Taking too much marijuana medicine doesn’t result in a dangerous overdose, but it can feel very uncomfortable.
Once you understand how your body interacts with edibles, they become a powerful treatment tool. The relief that comes from edibles lasts much longer than the effects of an inhaled medicine. Patients with chronic conditions that impact them around the clock get extended benefits that don’t require frequent doses. And, of course, they taste fantastic.
Some patients cook their own edibles to make medicating more enjoyable. Do your research before making your own infused food. You must heat marijuana in a particular way or add fat to it to get the most out of the THC in it. It also creates a distinct smell during cooking that you might want to reduce.
How to Make Marijuana Caramels
We’ll teach you how to make three types of cannabis caramels suited for all sorts of diets. First, we’ll start with traditional cannabis caramels, and then we’ll talk about sugar-free and vegan versions. These explanations mention two unique ingredients — infused coconut oil and cannabis butter. Find the recipe you want to use, then click the ingredient name for more information about it.
If you know how to make regular caramel candies, you know just about everything needed to make ones infused with marijuana. Good & Baked, a website dedicated to sharing cannabis recipes, has a simple recipe. It uses cannabis butterto add cannabinoids to the caramels. Otherwise, you only need these common ingredients:
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Light corn syrup
- Condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
It is also possible to adapt cannabis caramels for special-diets. Fork & Beans has a 100% vegan caramel recipe that also contains no gluten. They list coconut oil as the first ingredient, which you can easily infuse with marijuana. Substitute the cup of regular coconut oil with your homemade infused oil, then follow the directions normally. This recipe also includes ingredients like:
- Brown sugar
- Vegan butter
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
If you can’t eat sugar or want to reduce your sugar intake, Resolution Eats features a three-ingredient recipe suitable for sugar-free and keto diets. This recipe uses butter as its main fat, which you can substitute with cannabutter. Then, you need heavy whipping cream and powdered artificial sweetener. If you have regular artificial sweetener, you can make it into powdered sweetener with a blender or coffee grinder.
Of course, you can also use your favorite recipe for regular caramels to make marijuana caramels. As you can see above, you can swap out butter for cannabutter and oil for infused coconut oil. Feel free to have fun — cover them in chocolate, add nuts and get creative!