Lifestyle

How to make firecracker edibles

Published on January 11, 2022
background of various cannabis firecrackers on neutral background with yellow rectangle that reads "How to make firecrackers" in green and red text with firework sparks
(Leafly)

Firecracker weed edibles are super easy to make. Maybe too easy. And they’re also delicious. Maybe too delicious. It can be easy to get carried away with these potent edibles (there’s a reason they’re called “fire” crackers,) so let’s break down the recipe, talk about dosing, and then have some fun with it.

A basic weed firecracker has just three ingredients: some sort of cracker, a fatty nut or seed spread, and of course cannabis. You’ll often see them made with graham crackers and peanut butter. But saltines, hazelnut spread, honey – all sorts of other tasty ingredients can get into the mix. They’re a great edible to have fun with.

In our recipe below, we’ll be using decarboxylated weed, so there’s no need to bake the goodies any further. As long as you mix the decarbed bud with something that has a high-fat content, your body will make the magic happen.

I happened to have a few ounces of decarbed popcorn buds from my backyard harvest I need to use up , and making different kinds of firecrackers was a great way to put the popcorn to use.


How to make a basic cannabis firecracker

A bag of decarbed nugs on a wooden background
What do you do with a quarter pound of decarbed popcorn buds from your harvest? Make edibles, of course! (Justin Sund/Leafly)

Prep time with already decarboxylated weed: 15-20 minutes

Prep time including decarb: one hour

For a batch of basic firecrackers you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
    (An all-natural brand is best due to its high fat content. High fat means more THC absorption.)
  • 2-3 grams of ground decarbed cannabis
    (FYI, the more potent the weed the less you’ll need)
  • 10 graham or saltine cracker halves

Step 1

Decarb and grind your cannabis.

Step 2

Mix the peanut butter and ground cannabis.

Step 3

Spread the mixture evenly on your crackers.

Step 4

Eat one!

Step 5

Wait at least 45 minutes for the firecracker to kick in, so you know how potent one is before you eat another one.

Step 6

Chill even further.


How potent is a firecracker?

Closeup photo of hand holding saltine firecracker with peanute butter
A basic saltine and peanut butter firecracker (Justin Sund/Leafly)

Let’s start with “how many milligrams of THC are in a gram of cannabis?

If your bud’s potency is 20%, then there are potentially 200mg of THC in a single gram (if properly decarbed and all the THCA is converted to THC.)

Yes, you’ll likely lose some potency during the decarb process, and, yes, your body won’t absorb every last drop, but you should always operate under the assumption that any edible you make could be at its most potent.

So, a firecracker will be as potent as you engineer it to be. Some recipes will call for a half to a full gram of ground weed per firecracker, which will leave you with an incredibly potent edible. If you a high tolerance, have at it, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for first-timers or for the best tasting firecracker.

Related
Edibles dosage chart: How strong is your cannabis-infused edible?

We suggest sprinkling pinches of weed into the 1/2 cup of peanut butter and mixing it in until the weed looks equally distributed. After you make your first batch of firecrackers, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision about how much weed to incorporate into your spread.

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The above recipe calls for 2 grams, which at 20% potency could be up to 400mg of THC, or 40mg per firecracker.

As a regular weed consumer and without any guarantee on exactly how much THCA converts to THC using average kitchen gadgets, the measurements provided should come out feeling like 15-20mg per delicious morsel.

Cannabis firecracker on a colorful plate next to a scale that reads 0.104 grams
If decarbed properly you won’t need much weed to make a potent firecracker. Even 0.1 grams of ground cannabis can have 20mg of THC or more. (Justin Sund/Leafly)

Alternative spreads for firecrackers

A spread of different kinds of firecrackers on a neutral background
An assortment of cannabis firecrackers (Justin Sund/Leafly)

The world is your oyster with these stoney bites, although we wouldn’t recommend oysters on a firecracker. As long as you have a fatty spread and some weed to mix in or sprinkle on top, we encourage you to go nuts!

Here are some different takes we’ve tried.

  • Hazelnut spread – The most oft suggested spread because it’s delicious and oh so high in fat. And if you combine and do half and half with peanut butter? A high of its own.
  • Sunflower butter – If you have peanut allergies, this is a freakin’ delicious option. Sunflower butter has amazing fat content, and if you can find the chunky version it’s worth its weight in gold.
  • Everything butter – A nut butter with hemp, almond, pumpkin, chia, sesame and more all under one roof? Sign us up.
Related
Beyond Cannabutter: Infused Coconut-Cherry Granola

Crunchy, munchy combo ideas

closeup photo of hand holding graham firecracker with hazelnut spread and potato chip sprinkles
Salty potato chips and hazelnut spread are a fun firecracker combo. (Justin Sund/Leafly)
  • Butter crackers – Like a Ritz! They’re flakey, buttery goodness that add more fat for the THC to glom onto in your tummy tum.
  • Flavored graham crackers– There’s honey flavored, cinnamon flavored… um, honey-cinnamon. That may be all of them.
  • Ginger snaps – A little crunch and spice is nice.
  • Peanut butter and jam – The classic combo of salty and sweet.
  • Peanut butter and pickle – IYKYK
  • Nutella and fruit – Add green grapes slices, an orange wedge, or a banana if you want to help cover that weed taste.
  • Nutella and potato chips – Crunchy, fun and tasty. Another salty and sweet delight.
  • Nutella and marshmallow fluff – S’more please!

How do you like your homemade edibles? Let us know in the comments.

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Justin Sund
Justin Sund
Justin Sund is a Sr. Creative Producer on Leafly’s Media team. He’s helped create so many things, from board games to award-winning short films for a mélange of amazing folks, including Family Guy, Doctor Who, Marvel Studios, Red Bull, Microsoft, and now Leafly. He is a born and raised Washingtonian, living in Seattle with his wife and chubby cat. Justin has a passion for cooking and can often be found making a huge-ass mess in the kitchen.
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