Kim Always Hungry

Cannabis Infused Dirty Chai Cheesecake

I made my first batch of edibles in high school. I sat in the basement office, hunched over the family computer, scouring the internet for ways to make edibles without smelling up the house. I anxiously cleared my search history before my parents got home from work and awaited my opportunity to test out the recipe I’d found in a weed forum comments section. On a day I knew the house would be empty for hours, I mixed up cannabis flower with peanut butter, sandwiched it between two saltine crackers and individually wrapped them before popping them into the toaster oven. What was left was the driest, most disgusting concoction I’d ever created. I ate one to no avail but after 2 or 3, I could feel the effects like crazy. I began to make batches and eat a couple before lacrosse practices(and games) and could swear they’d improve my performance. Some of my frinds later confessed they never got any effects from them but others have said the opposite. Placebo or not, my edibles journey began long ago. Sorry, Mom!

Over the years, i’d make batches here and there of different baked goods but I couldn’t produce a consistent product. The COVID-19 pandemic would give me plenty of time to revisit the cannabis lab. With the help of a dear scientist friend, we found the best decarboxylation method and binding process. I’ve taken that base formula to create dozens of cannabis infused recipes that extend far beyond the dreams of my 17 year old stoner self. These recipes are tried and true and positively delicious.

I think anyone who has eaten an edible has eaten one that was just not tasty. You scarf it down to feel the effects but you don’t enjoy the flavor. To me, the common mistake seems to be that people try to mask the flavor of the marijuana rather than using it to their advantage. I like to think of the ahem, herb as exactly that. My edibles recipes aren’t just throw some weed in it and suffer. They are crafted with cannabis in mind ensuring that each bite is a symphony.

This chai cheesecake recipe uses the crust as the vehicle for the cannabis. This ensures that the filling is silky smooth and the dosage per serving is manageable. I’ve left way too many people comatose in my journey to find balance. If you’ve had any of my edibles in 2020 and still trust me, you’re a real one! Enough about weed; let’s talk cheesecake.

This cheesecake incorporates 3 key elements that are essential in their own way: crust, filling, spice blend. The crust is a mixture of graham crackers and ginger snaps. The ginger snaps add a heavy duty texture that won’t compromise with the additional liquid. Usually, I insist on using the best quality ingredients but for this crust, generic brand is totally fine. The cheesecake filling is actually one that you can use as a base for other cheesecake flavors. I use a standard vanilla cheesecake recipe and mix in the chai spice. The chai spice blend is the star of the show here and can be used for so many other recipes once you make it. You can just buy a pre-made dry mix or skip the toasting step if you’re looking for a quicker recipe. The results will still be delicious but of course at Kim Always Hungry we pull out all the stops.

Espresso Crust

As I mentioned before, this crust uses both graham crackers and ginger snaps. Because ginger snaps are a tougher texture, i recommend using a food processor to pulverize the cookies. If you don’t have one, do not fret. You can do the old plastic bag and rolling pin technique. The latter is quite therapeutic but will take much longer. Once the cookies are sufficiently bludgeoned, you’ll add in your cannabis infused sugar and the cannabis infused butter or oil. Olive oil can be used here for an additional flavor! However, I’d probably use a a bit less chai spice in the filling. Fresh brewed espresso(or coffee) is added in this step as well. once the crust is the texture of wet sand, you’ll press it into the pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. This can be done well in advance.

Chai Spice

You can handle the chai spice by either using fresh ingredients and toasted them before grinding them into a powder, or you can by the ground spices. The fresh toasted version yields a stronger product so be sure to use less than if you buy them ground on the shelf. The good thing about going the extra mile is that you can jar and save the chai spice mix for many other uses in the future.

Filling

This filling here is a traditional NY style cheesecake but instead of lemon juice or zest, the chai spice is the flavoring. NY style cheesecake is silky smooth and true to my heart. It reminds me of my early childhood when my parents would load us up in the car on a Saturday to head into Downtown Brooklyn for brunch at Junior’s. Their strawberry cheesecake was the first bite of cheesecake that I liked. So much so that I would only eat cheesecake from Junior’s even after we moved to Atlanta. The months between visits to New York stretched into years and soon enough I began to indulge in a slice at Christmas dinner. Though I make and enjoy my own cheesecake flavors, I still yearn for a slice of classic Junior’s’ strawberry.