Introducing the Grasslands Smoky Doughs, a Cannabis-Infused Gingerbread Cookie With a Hint of Mezcal

A couple lifetimes ago, I was The Denver Post’s Cannabis Editor when Colorado made legalization history. Looking back, I’ll tell you what: Times were wild, indeed (having a documentary crew filming over my shoulder was just the start). 

During that stint—my swan song as a journalist, capping a 24-year newspaper career—I was fortunate enough to work with an iconic chef named Laurie Wolf. When Laurie came to my colleagues and I, she had a fledgling edibles brand that was a favorite among Oregonians and a long list of cookbooks she’d authored—and she wanted to write weed-focused recipes for the cannabis news and lifestyle vertical I’d started, The Cannabist. 

Laurie ended up writing dozens of recipes for The Cannabist, a gig that led to multiple cannabis cookbook opportunities for her—and now she’s selling her award-winning edibles under the Laurie + MaryJane brand in Oregon and other markets.

Laurie and I do our best to touch base and keep in touch, and I was thrilled when she reached out earlier this year with an offer to create another delectable recipe for myself and Grasslands—something that aligned with our brand, and something that would be fun to share with our colleagues, clients and partners.

Thus, the Grasslands Smoky Doughs were born.

Laurie called these mezcal-forward gingerbread cookies Smoky Doughs, and it’s my pleasure to share this fun recipe for you. In Laurie’s own words:

“Creating this recipe was my introduction to mezcal. Wow, what a complex spirit! Smoky for sure, with hints of sweet and earth. I tasted chocolate. Really? I think so. Having immersed myself in the world of cannabis, I set out to see if I could taste the agave terpenes in mezcal, one of my favorite cannabis pastimes. And sure enough, citrus and floral is right there—and maybe a tad piney.

“I tend not to encourage mixing cannabis and alcohol, however the alcohol is burned off during baking, so you have the mezcal taste and the cannabis buzz,” writes Laurie. “A portion of the sweetness in the cookies comes from smoked brown sugar—really crazy, it’s smoky and sweet, adding an interesting, unusual flavor to the spicy cookie.”

Grasslands Smoky Doughs

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Makes 30 cookies, with roughly 2.5mg of THC in each cookie

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1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup cannabutter (75mg THC), softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup smoked brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

2 tablespoons mezcal

2 1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Pinch of cayenne

Smoked brown sugar sprinkles

Directions

1. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butters with the sugars until fluffy.  Add the baking soda, salt, egg, molasses and mezcal; beat until fully incorporated.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, ground cloves and cayenne. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined. Chill for a minimum of one hour, but longer is better.

4. Heat oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Divide the dough into 30 small, walnut-sized portions, and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Sprinkle dough with the smoked brown sugar.

6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies appear to be set in the middle. You’ll have a little wiggle room to decide if you want your cookies soft or crisp. They stay moist, so it’s your call. 

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‍Laurie Wolf is the owner of Laurie + MaryJane edibles, available in Oregon and California.