Cannabis Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (Easy, Evenly Dosed)

Cannabis cookies are ordinary chocolate chip cookies made with cannabutter or cannaoil in place of plain butter. This recipe makes about 24 cookies, and all of the THC comes from the infused fat: divide the milligrams of THC in your cannabutter by 24 to get the amount in each cookie. Decarboxylate the flower and make the butter first, because a 10-minute bake does not reliably activate raw cannabis [1].

How long do edibles keep? See Do weed gummies go bad? Edible shelf life explained.

Ingredients (about 24 cookies)

• 1 cup (225 g) cannabutter, softened (or 1 cup cannaoil)
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (165 g) packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips

Before you start: make the infused fat

Raw flower holds most of its THC as THCA, an acid form that does not produce the effects of THC [2]. Heat removes a carboxyl group and turns THCA into THC. In laboratory tests on cannabis extract, THCA was almost fully converted after about 30 minutes at 110°C (230°F) [1]; flower in a home oven needs its own times, which the decarboxylation temperature chart sets out.

THC dissolves in fat and barely at all in water [3], which is why the butter or oil carries it into the dough. Infuse the decarboxylated flower in butter on a low heat, strain it and let it set; the cannabutter recipe has the ratios and temperatures, and cannabis coconut oil is the dairy-free option. Weigh out 225 g (1 cup).

Do not count on the cookie bake to do the decarboxylation. Nine to 11 minutes is short next to the times measured in the lab [1], and the inside of a cookie does not reach the oven setting, so raw flower in the dough would be only partly activated and the dose would be anyone’s guess.

How to make cannabis cookies, step by step

Step 1: Preheat and prep

Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Step 2: Cream the cannabutter and sugars

Beat the softened cannabutter with both sugars for about two minutes, until pale and fluffy. Mix thoroughly: the THC is in the butter, so butter spread evenly through the dough is what makes the cookies equal in strength.

Step 3: Add eggs and vanilla

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until smooth.

Step 4: Combine the dry ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, then mix them into the wet ingredients just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

Step 5: Fold in the chocolate chips

Stir the chocolate chips through the dough by hand.

Step 6: Portion and weigh

Divide the dough into 24 equal portions and space them well apart on the trays. For an even dose, weigh the whole batch of dough, divide by 24 and weigh each portion.

Step 7: Bake

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centres still look soft. Leave on the tray for a few minutes before moving.

Step 8: Cool and label

Let the cookies cool fully on a rack. Label the container with what is inside and the THC per cookie before you put it away.

THC per cookie

Every milligram of THC in the cookies comes from the cannabutter, so the arithmetic is simple: THC in the butter used (mg) divided by the number of cookies. The guide to calculating the potency of homemade edibles shows how to estimate the THC in your butter from the weight and THC percentage of the flower.

Total THC in 225 g cannabutter	THC per cookie (24 cookies)
120 mg	5 mg
240 mg	10 mg
480 mg	20 mg
960 mg	40 mg

For comparison, researchers have proposed 5 mg of THC as a standard unit for cannabis products [4], and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction advises people who are new to edibles to take no more than 2.5 mg of THC at a time [5]. To make milder cookies, replace part of the cannabutter with plain butter and recalculate.

How long cannabis cookies take to work

Eaten cannabis acts slowly. Effects usually begin 30 minutes to two hours after eating, peak at about four hours and can last up to 12 hours, with residual effects up to 24 hours [5]. Taking more before the first portion has peaked is a common route to over-intoxication [5].

Storage and safety

Cannabis cookies look exactly like ordinary cookies. US poison centres recorded edible cannabis exposures in children under six rising from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021 [6], and baked goods made with cannabis butter are a recognised cause of THC poisoning in dogs [7]. Store the cookies labelled, in a child-resistant container, out of sight and reach of children and pets [5]. Keep them airtight, or freeze them for longer storage.

Prefer brownies? See the cannabis brownies recipe.

Frequently asked questions

How strong are homemade cannabis cookies?

As strong as the cannabutter in them. Divide the milligrams of THC in the 225 g of butter by 24: 480 mg of THC in the butter gives about 20 mg per cookie. The potency of homemade butter is an estimate, so treat the figure as approximate.

Can I use cannaoil instead of cannabutter?

Yes. Cannaoil works the same way, because THC dissolves in fat [3]. The cookies spread a little more and come out softer, and the THC per cookie is still the THC in the oil you used divided by 24.

Do I need to decarboxylate first?

Yes. Decarboxylate the flower before it goes into the butter or oil. A cookie bakes for only 9 to 11 minutes, while lab tests needed about 30 minutes at 110°C to convert THCA almost completely [1], so the bake alone leaves raw cannabis largely inactive.

How long do cannabis cookies take to kick in?

Usually 30 minutes to two hours, with the peak at about four hours and effects lasting up to 12 hours [5].

How should I store cannabis cookies?

Labelled, in an airtight, child-resistant container, out of sight and reach of children and pets [5]. Freeze them for longer storage.

Sources

1. Wang M, Wang Y-H, Avula B, et al. Decarboxylation Study of Acidic Cannabinoids: A Novel Approach Using Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography/Photodiode Array-Mass Spectrometry. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 2016;1(1):262-271. doi:10.1089/can.2016.0020
2. Moreno-Sanz G. Can You Pass the Acid Test? Critical Review and Novel Therapeutic Perspectives of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid A. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 2016;1(1):124-130. doi:10.1089/can.2016.0008
3. PubChem. Tetrahydrocannabinol, CID 16078 (solubility). National Library of Medicine. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/16078
4. Freeman TP, Lorenzetti V. ‘Standard THC units’: a proposal to standardize dose across all cannabis products and methods of administration. Addiction. 2020;115(7):1207-1216. doi:10.1111/add.14842
5. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. 7 Things You Need to Know about Edible Cannabis. Ottawa: CCSA; 2019 (onset, peak and duration; 2.5 mg for new users; labelled storage away from children and pets). ccsa.ca
6. Tweet MS, Nemanich A, Wahl M. Pediatric Edible Cannabis Exposures and Acute Toxicity: 2017-2021. Pediatrics. 2023;151(2):e2022057761. doi:10.1542/peds.2022-057761
7. Hommerding H. Toxicosis in Dogs and Cats From Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). MSD Veterinary Manual. Reviewed February 2026. msdvetmanual.com

Last reviewed: October 2026