At New River Botanicals, we love incorporating our oils into our daily life in new, creative ways. With the holidays quickly approaching, adding CBD to your menu can serve as a great (and tasty!) new way to take your daily dosage. After all, what’s better than chowing down or sippin’ on something delicious and healthy?
Enjoy a stress-free holiday season with some handy tips for cooking with CBD and a few delicious recipes you’re sure to love!
4 Easy Tips for Cooking with CBD
Before you start adding CBD into your favorite recipes, let’s touch base on some things you’ll want to keep in mind. These tips can help guide you in your cooking process, so that your CBD-infused treats are both delicious and healthy!
- Use high-quality CBD oil: We can’t stress enough how important it is to use quality CBD oil. At the end of the day, there’s just no substitute for all-natural CBD oil.
- Love the fats: CBD works best in recipes with some sort of fat in them (oil, butter, etc). This fat helps absorb the oil, making a more consistent mixture.
- Watch your temperature: When CBD oil is heated to greater than 320 degrees Fahrenheit, its benefits for our health can begin to decrease. Don’t allow your CBD to come in direct contact with your heat source. This can lead to a breakdown in the nutrients and a change in the flavor profile.
- Start small: Cooking with CBD oil is an art. Use too much, and it can become overpowering — not to mention, costly! Use too little, and you won’t be able to enjoy the healthy benefits. We recommend starting with a small dish. And remember, a little CBD oil goes a long way in terms of flavor and health support.
Sip On Something Tasty This Winter
While cooking with CBD can be a great option, we also love infusing our oils into drinks! It’s a fun new way to get your daily dosage, while staying warm this holiday season. Keep reading for a few of our favorite recipes for incorporating CBD into classic, delicious drinks.
CBD Bulletproof Coffee
Infusing CBD into your coffee can be done in just 3 easy steps: simply brew the coffee, drop in your desired dose of CBD, and stir. That’s it!
Just keep in mind that CBD oil is thick, and you’ll be mixing it with a water-based drink. This means the oil may not fully-infuse into the coffee and can rise to the top. That’s where Bulletproof Coffee comes in! This coffee is specially-blended and contains other fats to help everything mix together nicely.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 oz fresh coffee
- 1 rounded teaspoon of grass-fed butter
- 1 rounded teaspoon of organic or MCT coconut oil
- 2-3 drops of New River Natural CBD Oil
- Optional: If you’re feeling extra creative, try adding some dark chocolate, a dash of cinnamon, or even some cardamom.
DIRECTIONS:
- First things first: brew your favorite coffee!
- Once your coffee is ready, place 8 oz in a blender (we recommend using a Magic Bullet or related product for blending). You can also place it in a container to use an immersion blender. Be careful though — it’s hot!
- Next add the butter, coconut oil, and CBD oil to the brewed coffee as well as any additional ingredients you’ve decided to add.
- Blend your coffee mixture for 15-20 seconds. It will foam up a little, adding about 2 ounces in volume to your drink.
- Last but not least… Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy all winter long!
Holiday Cheer Bonus: Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for a little extra flavor. Not only is it delicious, it also makes for a pretty topper!
Homemade CBD Hot Chocolate
Nothing is more comforting on a cold winter day than snuggling up with a big mug of rich hot chocolate. With this recipe, the warmth of the hot chocolate and the healing quality of the CBD oil pair seamlessly to help melt your stress away and leave you feeling ready to enjoy holiday festivities!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup whole organic milk
- 2 tablespoons organic granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2-3 drops of New River Cherry CBD Oil
DIRECTIONS:
- In a small saucepan, mix the chocolate, cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup of milk over a low-burning heat.
- Stir continuously until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the remaining milk, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of sea salt.
- Stir in organic sugar to taste.
- Drop in CBD Oil.
- Last but not least… Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy all winter long!
Holiday Cheer Bonus: Top with whipped cream, marshmallows, or a candy cane for some extra holiday pizzaz! Or gently crush a candy cane in a ziplock bag and sprinkle the pieces on top of your whipped cream or marshmallows. Cute and tasty!
CBD Mulled Apple Cider
A true winter classic and one of our favorites, cider is the perfect seasonal drink for warming up the soul. Adding CBD to your cider recipe is a great way to prioritize your health and melt away stress — all while enjoying a delicious treat.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 quarts organic apple cider
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 1 large orange, sliced
- 2 tablespoons whole cloves
- 3-4 drops of New River’s Orange Creamsicle CBD Oil
- Optional: use your favorite bourbon or rum to add an extra “kick”
DIRECTIONS:
- Add organic apple cider into a large pot or slow cooker.
- Place the whole cinnamon sticks into the liquid.
- Drop cloves into and orange slices into the cider.
- Cook on low until the spices start to come through and the cider is hot (about 2.5-3 hours)
- Carefully ladle cider directly from your pot or slow cooker into mug.
- Add 3-4 drops of CBD oil
- Add one ounce of bourbon or rum (optional)
Holiday Cheer Bonus: Add a whole cinnamon stick, slice of apple or orange, or sprinkle cinnamon on top for a truly satisfying drink (in taste and presentation!).
As you can probably tell, we’re passionate about finding new, fun ways to incorporate CBD into our routine! When cooking with CBD oil, it’s extremely important to be mindful of things like temperature and dosage. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun with it! These recipes are great guides for experimenting with CBD in your favorite holiday meals and drinks, but they’re just that: guides.
Thinking outside of the box with CBD (while keeping safety top of mind) can lead to some truly tasty treats, so don’t be afraid to get creative! And hey, if you find a new recipe you can’t get enough of, feel free to share it with us on social media. We love new recipes almost as much as we love hearing from y’all!
