My grandmother and my great-grandmother were fixtures in my house when I was growing up. Because of their experiences living through the Great Depression I learned an important lesson at an early age, “waste not want not.” Though spoken to me almost 30 years back these words could not be any more true today, and that’s why I love vaporizers.
One of my favourite features of a good vaporizer is that the quality of the flowers does not have to be as high to achieve the same results as smoking. Additionally, the amount that it takes to fill the chamber in a vaporizer will last far longer than you would initially expect. In fact, over-packing chambers, which results in bad air circulation, is an easily avoidable mistake many new owners make.
The benefits don’t stop there though. After mastering how to pack your new vaporizer and figuring out how to get to the appropriate temperature you will be rewarded with a light golden-brown substance (if it is dark brown or black, the temperature is too high) left in the chamber, called duff. Do not dump it over the ash bin! What you are looking at is the remains of your flowers after being vaporized. It’s still loaded full of cannabinoids that did not reach a high enough temperature to activate and vaporize.
Duff is one of the best things about owning a vaporizer. Duff gives you the ability to bake high CBD medicated treats for yourself at home for a fraction of the price they sell for in dispensaries, because it’s a free by-product of your vaporizing. I can hear my Nana’s words right now, “waste not want not.”
So here’s how I like not to waste: make brownies! Really you can bake anything with duff but I found brownies are the best treat to start with. Begin with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of duff. Either with a mortar and pestle or a clean food processor, grind the duff to a smooth consistency. From here you have two options: pick up a box of brownie mix, add your duff to the brownie mix, mix as per directions on box, be rewarded with CBD rich instant brownies. Option two: use your beloved brownie recipe, the one that your mom gave you or the one you bribed the neighbourhood baker for and now claim as your own. Simply subtract 1/3 to 1/2 cup of flour from the amount called for and replace it with duff. However, if your recipe calls for only one cup of flour or less do not reduce the amount of flour just add the duff to your recipe. Duff will not help your brownies set; reducing the flour under one cup runs the risk of your brownies not setting up right.
Because duff won’t set baking it doesn’t really matter what recipe is used, so use one that gives you the kind of brownie you want. Puffy, gooey or chewy, the duff won’t affect your brownies other than adding a slight nutty flavour. When I make them, I like to swirl either Nutella or cookie butter through the brownie dough before baking, they accent the nuttiness of the duff perfectly!
Make sure your brownies cook under 400° and remember that shorter times are better too. Longer in the oven means more cannabinoids are being broken down and destroyed.
So, what are you waiting for? Go create something amazing and remember, “waste not want not.”
Don’t have a beloved brownie recipe? Here’s mine. Happy baking!
Brownies mix
- ⅓ cup duff (ground up as fine as you can.)
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt (smoked or pink is recommended)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Enge-G egg replacement
- ⅓ cup chocolate almond milk
- ¼ cup vanilla soy yogurt
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ⅓ cup non-dairy semisweet chocolate chips
***shortening to grease baking pan
Glaze
- ¾ cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chocolate almond milk
***pinch of pink salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 × 8-inch square glass pan well with shortening.
For the brownies: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, duff and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, Enge-G egg replacement, almond milk, soy yogurt, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Whisk the sugar until emulsified and smooth. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until mixed. Don’t over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth. If you’re feeling like an extra treat, drop tablespoon dollops of Speculoos (cookie butter), peanut butter or Nutella on top of the scooped batter and run a knife through it to give your finished brownies a marbled effect. Bake in a preheated oven for 22 minutes, no more, no less. Let rest till cool to the touch, then top with warm glaze. Add additional toppings as desired.
For the glaze: Start by melting the chocolate in a double boiler. Slowly add chocolate almond milk and mix till combined. Add salt, stir, and top off your cooled brownies.