Delightful Canadian Snowball Cookies

Marge (00:00:06) - Welcome back to episode 237. And this week we are doing Snowball cookies. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your life. I'm your host and certified Ganjier. Marge and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. And thank you for joining me today. And welcome back, my friends. Thank you for being here. This is the episode that almost didn't happen. And why you ask? Marge, you're so committed to your work, why would you ever skip an episode? Oh, my personal life is a bit in shambles at the moment, and at the time of this recording, I am packing up a lot of stuff and getting ready to move, uh, leave the house that I've been living in for 14 years for the rest of my life forever. And I have to admit, it's pretty emotional. Some days have been really tough, but. The show must go on, so I knew I would have to record.

Marge (00:01:04) - In the four and a half years I've been doing this podcast, I missed one episode release and that was within the last six months. Coincidentally or not, that was within the last six months. But I knew I couldn't let that happen again, because I could be all over the place in the next few months, sort of a bit of a nomad. And so I might have to get used to recording in uncomfortable situations, but I'm sure it'll get better from here on out. A new chapter is about to begin, a new chapter for Bite Me as well, so we'll see, and I hope you'll be here for the ride. I mean, we're still going to talk about edibles. If it wasn't for edibles, primarily edibles and cannabis, I, I don't know if I would get through all this stuff. I also meditate a lot. There's a whole host of tools that I use to keep myself sane and grounded and emotionally together. But edibles is definitely a big part of that. And these snowballs are going to be talking about today are no exception.

Marge (00:01:58) - This was one of my favorite recipes I've made in recent history, but we'll get to that in a second. I just want to say, actually, thank you for being here. If you're new to the show, welcome. We talk about edibles here and pretty much nothing else. Uh, of course a little personal stuff comes up and we'd like to do some trivia and things you can make with hemp sometimes and all that sort of stuff. But we're here to talk about edibles and the wonderful world in which you can explore, because they are so much more than the pot brownie. And if you've been listening for a while, thank you. Your support means so much. And I know I say this every single week or almost every single week, but that's because it's true. And that doesn't change. And I want to make sure that you're reminded of that every time you tune in for one of these short episodes, or some of the longer ones that I have with guests. And having said that, I have some great interviews that I've done.

Marge (00:02:48) - They're in the bank at the moment. I'll be prepping them for release soon. And some of them, one of them has to do with the snowballs, and I'm going to be talking about later in this episode. But before we get to that, let's do a little stoner trivia, shall we? Because it's kind of fun, and I want to use these cards that I got. I'm just picking randomly from the deck of cards. Imagine if you will. And if you're watching the video that I post in the show notes. Now, I've been thinking of doing a video of me doing these recordings and putting them in the show notes for the episode on the website. They're raw and unedited because I just don't have the time to go through and edit the video, as well as the audio and as an audio file and a podcast lover myself. It will be podcasting first and always, but I thought it would be kind of fun. And yes, you can always find them there, but you may want to have to like scroll through it really fast.

Marge (00:03:44) - Because if I make mistakes, I do a lot. I don't do a ton of editing, but I do do editing for these episodes before I release them. The filler words and the phrases that I love to use. You would think after all these years I would have tried or use them less. I mean, I've been practiced at this for a while, but it seems that I have phrases that I love to repeat over and over and over again, and it drives me crazy. I can only imagine what it does for you people out there. So once again, I'm very glad that you're here listening to me. In any case, this week for the stoner trivia, we have a sports question for 40 points if you're keeping track. This Philadelphia 76 ers star was busted with some weed in 1997. Was it Maurice Cheeks doctor J. Charles Barkley or Allen Iverson. And I will reveal the answer at the end of the episode so you can. See how your sports knowledge, sports and cannabis knowledge stacks up against stoner trivia.

Marge (00:04:43) - Race two for 20 Trivia card game. Snowballs. I called them snowball cookies. I think in the introduction I think I did. Amazing how short my memory is sometimes. These are balls, not a flat cookie. Just to give you some idea of what they might look like. Watching the video, I'm holding up the book from which they came. I don't know if you can see that or not, because I can't actually see the video I'm recording currently, but they came from a book called Butter and Flour cannabis infused Recipes and stories for the Canna curious by an alkene. And I am proud to say that Anne is a guest of the show, and the episode for that will be released next week. And it was a fantastic conversation and is a wealth of knowledge, and this cookbook is evidence of that. The recipes are fantastic. There's a really broad range of options in the book, including savoury for those of you who don't have the sweet tooth. But she intersperses all of these recipes with stories from the cannabis community, and I loved that aspect of this particular cookbook, so it's definitely a cookbook worth picking up if you're looking for something new and different.

Marge (00:05:57) - And this snowball recipe is the first one I would recommend you try. Now, of course, I was drawn to this recipe because as I'm recording this, it's February. It's been an unseasonably warm winter in comparison to winters past winters of yore, but we still have cold days. It still Canada and it's still February, so it's dark and cold and sometimes miserable. And of course, with all the shit going on in my personal life, it's easy to feel miserable sometimes. But one of these snowballs is certain to cheer you up as it cheered me up. And this recipe, of course, it's called snowballs. And she says right on the page under the title of the recipe. And as easy as a snow job. If you don't know what that is, ask a Canadian. I'll just leave it at that. But these were pretty easy to whip up and they tasted so good and there was a fun element in them. And that was a little bit of cayenne pepper and that addition of that simple ingredient.

Marge (00:06:59) - Made such a difference in these. It just. Oh, I mean, I love spice and these. I wouldn't say we're so spicy that, you know, you couldn't eat them, but they added this super nice warmth as a finish to this particular cookie. And they were delicious. Now, of course, they look a little bit like snowballs because they're round and they're dusted in icing sugar. So that's where they get the name. But they have a fun little surprise in them because they are essentially a cookie with a hazelnut center, a hazelnut spread center. So we're thinking like a, like your favorite hazelnut spread as an example. I think we all know what we're talking about. And I went out specifically and bought hazelnut spread. It's something I don't tend to keep in the kitchen because again, as somebody with a sweet tooth, it's way too easy to eat that shit right off the spoon. I've done it. You've maybe done it. There's probably a lot of you out there who have done that.

Marge (00:07:56) - So I tend not to buy it because there was a lot of sugar in it, but there's no pretending that these are low. This is a low sugar treat. And once again, as I've mentioned many times on the show, the reason I infuse a lot of my baked goods is because I have a sweet tooth. And if I know these snowballs or other cookies or confectioneries that I'm making are infused with cannabis, I am forced to eat a reasonable amount of them, typically one. Or two. It's never like 5 or 10. And when it comes to candy, I have no willpower. I will eat all of the candy. It's just. The way I am. I know other people like that. I know other people who could eat one and just be like, yeah, that's enough for me. And then go about their day. That is not me. I'm a bit of a fiend when it comes to candy. Other things, not so much. I could have chips in the house.

Marge (00:08:43) - Muffins don't really do it for me. Like that kind of thing. Cookies? Not so much. Another reason why I infused them, but. This was a pretty simple recipe. Aside from the hazelnut spread, you may or may not have all the stuff. I mean, aside from the hazelnut spread, you probably have everything else you need for these particular snowballs for this particular recipe because all you need is your hazelnut spread. You need your can of butter, unsalted butter, sugar, almond flour, pecans, vanilla and most importantly, don't forget the cayenne pepper. And of course the icing sugar which gives them that snowball look. So a very simple recipe. I also like that they use that she's using almond flour because that does make them gluten free. So long as your as long as there's no gluten in the hazelnut spread I suspect there is not. But you never know. It's always wise to check labels if you are celiac or super sensitive to gluten. Are you going to get out of pan? Line it with parchment paper, and then you take little dollops of the hazelnut spread and put it out on the pan.

Marge (00:09:52) - And then you pop that into the freezer and you let them freeze for about 15 minutes. Now. Well, that's going on in there. You can get the rest of the recipe ready. You're going to melt your butter in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water. So whatever double boiler system you like to use. And then in a large bowl using a wooden spoon, you're going to combine this canna butter and the rest of the ingredients, except for the icing sugar. You're going to take your hazelnut. Your hazelnut plops out of the freezer, and then you surround each one with dough, forming some golf golf ball sized balls. And then you freeze them again. And you can place them quite close together because they're not going to expand a whole ton. They do stay pretty well in their ball form when you put them in the oven. So you freeze them again in the in the on the same baking sheet for about 15 minutes, and then you pop them in the oven for 350 and you let them bake.

Marge (00:10:49) - After you bake them, you're going to let the balls cool a little bit, and then you roll them in some icing sugar, and then you let them cool completely again and roll them once more. And then this gives them the real snowball look. Now, when I was forming the dough, when I made these particular ones, I found the dough a little bit crumbly and that was probably a user error somewhere along the line. I'm not really sure. I don't think it was supposed to be as crumbly as it was, but I did manage to get it all together. But once they baked and I did all the steps, there was no issue with them afterwards being too crumbly. I'm not sure it was probably something that I did, but that was no of no consequence. If you do find it a little crumbly, that wasn't really. I was kind of concerned. One of the balls I did end up making did kind of like fall apart, and I had to just take it off the off the pan and.

Marge (00:11:40) - And leave it. But so I ended up with one less than I had originally intended to. And I did make those adjustments when I was calculating the potency of those particular snowballs, or the whole batch, as it were. As it were. Is that a phrase I like to say? No, in any case, is one for sure. Despite the dough being a little bit crumbly. Once I got them formed and baked in the oven. And I cooled and did all the things. They were fantastic, so it wasn't an issue in the end. This was a great recipe and like I said, if that little hint of heat with the cayenne pepper really pulled these together, the flavor was lovely. The little the hazelnut spread in the middle was nice, and it felt like these should have been more complicated than they were. So as a Canadian, my hat goes off to Anne for the work that she put together for this book. I'm sure you're going to love hearing the recipe or hearing. I'm sure you're going to love hearing the interview that I do with her, but I really felt that this snowball recipe is quintessentially Canadian.

Marge (00:12:39) - And of course, I had to celebrate Canada and our winters by doing this recipe, and this is definitely one I will be making again. There is the opportunity to infuse it in more than one way if you want it to, and I do like how in her book, she kind of recommends a suggested mood or strain to go with the recipe. And also she gives you suggestions for infusing. So if you're new to infusing, this is also a great book because she gives suggestions on how to get the preferred dose per cookie. And you can always play with that, of course, especially if you have a little more experience in the kitchen and with edibles. But there's certainly ways that you can infuse this in more than one way. In fact, I'll have to dig it up. But I have done infused hazelnut spread on this show before, so if that's something you're into, you could infuse some hazelnut spread and then use that spread for each dollop that goes inside each of these snowballs. And then you can use your infused butter.

Marge (00:13:38) - And if you wanted to go so far, you could infuse the sugar that goes in it. I mean, the options here are endless for some people. Six milligrams, that sort of what she calculates depending on sort of the instructions that you follow. For the infusion, she calculates about six milligrams of THC per cookie. And for some people that's perfect. And for other people that's not quite enough. And for some people, that means you have to eat two snowballs. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But I do know people who have some pretty big tolerances, so finding ways to increase the potency is always an option. Once again, if that's something that you're into. But as they were, as I made them, they were beautiful. So I recommend that you try this out. And if you ever take pictures of any of the edibles, please tag me if you're on on the socials, like on Instagram, that's where I'm most active or in the Bite Me Cannabis Club. There's a spot of a show and tell spot, which I really actually need to start making use of myself, and I would love to see what you are making in your kitchen, especially if you try out a recipe from the show that would warm the cockles of my cold, cold heart.

Marge (00:14:42) - I'll be sure to link to the cookbook in the show notes, and the recipe will be there for you as well. And to close out this episode, of course, I cannot forget to give you the answer you've all been waiting for for the stoner trivia. The Philadelphia 76 ers star was busted with some weed in 1997. Was it Maurice Cheeks doctor J. Charles Barkley or Allen Iverson. If you guessed Allen Iverson, you would be correct and that you would get 40 points for your stoner trivia race, two for 20 trivia card game. And I would have to congratulate you because I did not know that. Luckily, weed is becoming far more acceptable in sports circles. Maybe we're not quite there yet, but things are changing. So if you enjoy this episode, please share it with somebody you care about because sharing does really help the show become more discoverable. And podcasting is still one of those places where it's really difficult to advertise podcasts. And it's a double whammy for me, because there are podcast platforms that allow you to do advertising in other shows and platforms, and many of them are strict about cannabis content.

Marge (00:15:59) - So even though I'm talking to a bunch of adults about cooking with weed in their own home kitchens, minding their own damn business, it doesn't matter. Talking about weed is too taboo. Although we're here to bust some stigmas, aren't we? Because a lot of people will look at me and be like, you're not a weed. And I you know, I used to be surprised sometimes that people, but not anymore, because I have talked to so many people of all walks of life. And that is why these stereotypes sometimes really need to die. Let the lazy stoner stereotype and that kind of thing. Because they don't apply. I mean, yeah, sure, there's stoner lazy stoners out there. There's lazy people of all kinds, stoners or otherwise. But I have learned that cannabis users come in all shapes and sizes. You can't assume that just because somebody is a certain way that they don't use cannabis, and maybe their use of cannabis is simply a topical. But that's the beauty of this plant.

Marge (00:16:50) - Anyway, I digress, because I feel like I'm rambling a little bit. Share the episode. It really does help. And if you want to talk to me about anything, email me. Shoot me a message on Instagram. Join the Bite Me cannabis, the Bateman Cannabis Club use the podcast hotline. I'd love to hear from you all anytime. Please reach out. You can always see up to date with the newsletter that I do the email newsletter and when you download the email newsletter, you can also get access to the Bite Me Cannabis Cookbook that I put together some time ago, which I almost never talk about because self-promotion is not my jam. And of course, you know what won't give you a snow job? The products and services on the Marge Recommends page. And that is the place where you'll find all the things that I use to make fantastic edibles, many of which I've been using long before the show started. And of course, I get a small kickback and no extra charge to you, and that helps keep this show going.

Marge (00:17:46) - I'm your host, Marj.

Marge (00:17:48) - And until next week, my friends stay high.