Cheesecake is my favorite memory of my star-baker grandma. She makes such good cakes and pies, I could definitely see her on ‘Great British Baking Show!’ Her red raspberry cheesecake bites were always my go-to, with fresh and barely sweetened whipped cream surrounding each tart and rich morsel of the cake itself. I always loved gathering tips when she is at the oven.
One thing I learned is that cheesecake should not be no-bake. It’s too delicious when done the right way! There’s nothing wrong with cutting corners when you have to, but if you are going to take the time to make cannabutter, you’ll want the best tasting cake possible to deliver a delicious treat, not a sugary cop out that won’t taste as fabulous.
Cannabis Cheesecake Bites
Adapted from the Philadelphia Classic Recipe, Danielle Guercio 2017
Makes 48 bites, 4mg THC per bite
- 2 blocks Cream cheese
- 1 c Graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup plus 2 tbs Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
- ⅓ c Cannabutter*
Take the butter and cream cheese out to soften while you prepare your molds. Mist silicone square molds with cooking spray, don’t use a complicated mold as it won’t hold it’s shape after removal. Use them with cookie sheets or baking sheets so you can take them out of the oven easily.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the graham crumbs, 2 Tbs of the sugar and the cannabutter until the crumbs are wet. Press 1 tsp each into the bottom of the molds. Use an electric mixer with a high sided bowl to whip together the sugar and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and one egg at a time, stop once the mixture is uniform, too much air will change the texture of the dessert.
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Pour evenly over the crumbs and clean the edges with a spatula. Bake for 4 minutes before rotating the trays and continuing for another 4 minutes. Check the center of one with a toothpick, if it comes out mostly clean, you can remove. If you want to go for a little longer, 4 more minutes should be the max to make sure it stays soft.
Refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours before removing from the mold. Serve two at a time for a nice weekend dose and drizzle with some toppings if you like, but as plain vanilla goes, this is exquisite enough to not need any fruits, chocolates, or creams.
*Cannabutter
Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven safe container. Put cannabis in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and one stick of butter. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes.
Making these in individual doses is like doing meal prep on a month’s worth of dastardly desserts. Or they make a fabulous gift or party favor, as long as you let people know what’s inside!
Photos: Danielle Guercio
