How to Make Cannabutter With Rosin Chips

Smoking cannabis dates back to ancient times. For centuries, people simply smoked dried weed buds. That remained the only method of enjoying pot for a long time, and then things started to change. In recent years, edibles and vaping became hot trends. However, you can now make cannabutter. One good recipe uses rosin chips.

What Is Cannabutter?

Just as the name implies, cannabutter is a type of butter made using marijuana. Many people prefer using this in place of real butter when baking cookies, cakes, brownies, crackers, and other edibles. It’s also ideal when baking chicken or as a spread on muffins, toast, and bagels. When using the right ingredients, cannabutter has an amazing flavor that’s hard to beat. 

What Are Rosin Chips?

Rosin chips are a byproduct of semi-dry marijuana flowers. They get their name from a pressing process called rosin. This method applies both heat and pressure to liquefy the cannabinoids and terpenes in dried weed flowers. This process yields a sticky and highly concentrated wax, as well as round, flat chips.

To make rosin chips, the leftover plant material gets pressed. Although these aren’t as concentrated as the wax, they still contain plenty of terpenes and cannabinoids that make them ideal for baking. A lot of people make rosin chips at home. Overall, using the chips in edibles and to make cannabutter is more convenient than working with messy, dry marijuana flowers.

What You’ll Need

An added advantage of making this cannabutter is that you can customize the recipe to match the flavor you want. For the basic recipe, you only need a few ingredients and supplies. 

• Rosin chips
• 3 sticks of unsalted and unclarified butter (after the entire process, you’ll end up with about 1 cup of butter).
• 1 teaspoon emulsifier (sunflower is an excellent choice)
• Rosin press
• Cheesecloth or strainer
• Baking dish
• Tinfoil

If you don’t have a pressing device, you can always use a double boiler. Although this works quite well, it’s not nearly as easy and convenient as using a rosin press.

Easy to Follow Directions

Keep in mind that several variables will affect the quantity and quality of the rosin produced. These include the amount of pressure, the length of squeeze time, temperature, quality of the cannabis, moisture content, and even the size of the filter bag used.

A good rule of thumb when making rosin chips for cannabutter is to keep the pressing machine’s temperature between 170 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly 45 to 60 seconds. Again, you might need to make some slight adjustments, but with a little trial and error, you’ll master the process in no time. Also, you’ll need about three to four times the amount of rosin chips than you would dry cannabis.

You have many options for a rosin press as well as accessories. Some of these are small handheld devices, while others are more elaborate and sophisticated. However, they all produce an amazing finished product.

Start by preheating the pressing device to the desired temperature. Then just follow the instructions to make rosin chips. Allow these to cool fully. As for the cannabutter recipe, follow these directions.

• In an oven-safe bowl, crumble (decarboxylate) two ounces of rosin chips. You want to end up with small pieces. 

• Cover the bowl with tin foil, which helps reduce the smell.

• Place the oven-proof bowl in a 250-degree-Fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes. 

• If you buy unclarified butter, you’ll skip this step. However, if you purchase clarified butter, you’ll need to go through a process to eliminate the milk solids. This will create a better cannabutter and extend its shelf life. Chop the butter into 1-inch squares and place them in a pan. On medium to high heat, melt the butter completely. Then, use a spoon to skim the foam off the top, which is the milk liquid.

• Place the still hot rosin chips right out of the oven, the hot butter, and the sunflower oil or other emulsifier in a food processor.

• Pulse all the ingredients for about 15 to 20 seconds.

• Pour the mixture into the same oven-proof dish used before, cover with tin foil, and place it back in the oven at 250-degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. This is what infuses the ingredients.

• When done, place a piece of cheesecloth or a strainer over a glass jar. Pour the mixture into the jar. The cheesecloth or strainer will catch the plant material of cannabis. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to put pressure on the weed material to extract all the liquid. You can either throw this material out, add it to a compost pile, or bury it in the ground.

Delicious Cannabutter With Rosin Chips

While this recipe requires a little bit of time, it’s quite easy to make. To store the cannabutter, place it in an airtight glass jar and refrigerate. Again, it’s not nearly as concentrated as the wax produced by the rosin press. Yet, it still contains plenty of cannabinoids and terpenes. Not only that, but the flavor is delicious.

For cooking and baking, you would use this cannabutter in the same way as traditional butter. As it sits in the refrigerator, it will semi-harden. Remember, you can add other ingredients if you want. Thyme is a popular choice, as it gives the cannabutter a little bit of an interesting kick.

The Bottom Line

The quality of the marijuana you use to make rosin chips will determine the quality of the cannabutter. So, always select superior cannabis and get it from a reputable source. It’s just as important to invest in a quality rosin press.

On a side note, when bringing the butter to a boil, be sure to stir it frequently to prevent it from burning. If the butter gets a little dark, don’t worry. That won’t affect the flavor or quality of the cannabutter. Finally, if you have leftover rosin chips, there are all kinds of amazing ways to use them. So don’t toss them out.