Ya, Canna Coconut Candy is the way to go for me also.
What I like about candy over other edibles is the absorption rate and overall effect. It's half way between vaping and eating for me. When you eat cannabis, it is converted to 11 Alpha THC which takes hours to fully hit you and is roughly 3-4 times more 'potent' than smoking. This conversion takes place in your digestive system. Sucking on candies however, vs eating cakes and cookies, lets much of the Delta 9 THC remain as is and absorb sublingually into your system with some of it carrying on through your digestive system and converting to 11 Alpha. So you get a quicker, slightly shorter buzz, that still feels very much like edibles, just sort of kinder with less body load IMO (too many will still accidentally put you on your ass though).
I like the idea of alcohol tinctures. I've done it in the past and just dropped drops under the tongue but I just don't really like alcohol and I feel like I'm getting a bunch of plant stuff I don't need (nitrogen, chlorophyll, etc). Extracting decarbed cannabis into coconut oil is my favorite, and it feels like it just grabs all the good stuff.
I do hard candy, taffy, and caramel with my AVB (I say already vaped bud). Just yesterday, I mixed my rosin chips with my remaining AVB and made some coconut oil, then candies and bhang. Enjoying a candy right now actually. I'm happy with the results and will definitely be cooking all the time with my rosin chips like I did with AVB.
My methods are probably the same as everyone's but it's probably worth sharing since some people seem to not know. It's really easy and doesn't require any special knowledge or equipment.
(STEP 1) Canna Coconut Oil
- fill small saucepan with water, put on low/med heat (just under boiling)
- place small metal bowl (just big enough to rest on saucepan rim) on water
- add AVB (or rosin chips, or any decarbed cannabis) to bowl
- add coconut oil (mix one tablespoon at a time and let melt, put just enough to soak)
- simmer for 3 hours, mixing periodically
- decant / press strain (I use half a tea-ball and a mesh filter, not paper)
- save the coconut oil for any kind of cooking, or just melt in mouth plain (yum)
(STEP 2) Canna Coconut Bhang
- dump out water from saucepan
- put your strained AVB (rosin chips, whatever) in saucepan
- add 1/2 - 1 cup of heavy cream, or full milk, or mix of both
- simmer really really low for an hour (don't let it boil or evap/burn)
- strain and drink (big ride!)
- or save in fridge (remaining coconut will separate, rise, harden on top, but milk is potent also)
(OPTION 1) Canna Coconut Hard Candy
- Basic ingredients:
- 1 part canna coconut oil
- 2 parts corn syrup
- 3 parts sugar
- Flavor:
- I add organic almond extract and organic bourbon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon of each)
- you can add anything
- Method:
- mix corn syrup and sugar in saucepan
- bring above 300f and keep it there for a few minutes
- remove from heat, cool until 260f
- add canna coconut oil + flavoring
- stir with silicone whisk until uniform
- pour onto cookie tray with parchment (or silicone slick pad)
- cool, cut, enjoy
- Tips:
- it looks like the canna coconut oil will not mix with the sugar syrup, but it will, you just have to be persistent, you'll get the hang of how fast/slow to do it and for how long
- this will stick to everything metal like crazy while mixing, use silicone utensils
- this is HOT, do not forget! It's not a sauce, it will burn you, be careful.
- this will cool down FAST and become unmanageable, mix quick then pour
- pre-mix your flavor with your canna coconut oil, keep them warm and they'll mix into the sugar syrup much easier (do not take them from fridge, then try to mix)
(Option 2, easiest) Canna Coconut Taffy
- Exactly the same as above, but only bring your corn syrup and sugar mix up to 260f and no higher
- reduce heat, mix in canna coconut oil + flavoring
- whisk thoroughly while keeping it on low heat (<200f)
- Tips:
- Taffy is my favorite method as it is the easiest, hard candy is tricky to work with
- I make taffy and pour it onto a silicone mini-ice cube tray (cheaper than silicone candy molds)
- I scrape it with a silicone spatula to fill the cube holes
(Option 3) Canna Coconut Caramel
- Basic ingredients:
- 1 part canna coconut oil
- 1 part corn syrup
- 2 parts sugar
- 1 part condensed milk
- 1 part whipping cream
- Flavor:
- you can add anything: vanilla, tea, salt, etc
- Method:
- mix syrup, sugar, milk, cream in saucepan
- stir and bring to 240f and no higher
- stir at temp for 5-10 minutes
- remove from heat and mix in canna coconut oil and flavor
- pour, cool, cut, and enjoy
- Tips:
- some people mix and melt the sugar and corn syrup first at higher temp (260) for bonus color and flavor, then whisk in milk and cream
- you can substitute brown sugar for extra flavor
Other Options:
Beyond hard candy, taffy, and caramel, there are a billion options when you go into the fudge realm. I like fudge also because you're getting away from so much sugar and you can use lots of other great ingredients. But, I feel like sugar is a really good carrier for fast body absorption compared to fudge which is starting to get closer to edibles (even though you can let it melt in your mouth). Also, hard candies, taffy, toffee, and caramel are more stable and therefor more portable and practical for general use (toss in your pocket, bag, camping, traveling, etc).
Sorry for the gigundo post, just sharing some info wherever the convo happens. These simple techniques and recipes have been great companions of mine and I hope other people can enjoy them also.
