Author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a groundbreaking book about hemp that sparked a grassroots movement, Jack Herer was a tireless champion of the cannabis plant. Herer used cannabis as a medicine and as inspiration while traveling the world inciting people to relegalize the hemp plant so they could benefit from its myriad industrial uses, including for food, biofuel, textiles, construction materials, and body-care products. After undergoing double-bypass heart surgery in 2005, Herer was unable to smoke his favorite herb, so his good friend and colleague Mary Aught-Six baked up a batch of these heart-healthy hemp cookies for him to enjoy. Mary used whole rolled grains, hemp flour, weed-infused margarine, and Splenda sugar replacement to make a sweet treat that’s also full of nutrition. These cookies are also diabetic-friendly and low in saturated fat.
MAKES 24 COOKIES
1½ cups (3 sticks) cannamargarine (see recipe)
2¼ cups hemp flour (available at health food stores or online at www.manitobaharvest.com)
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups Splenda granulated sweetener or equivalent natural sugar replacement
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups five-grain rolled cereal (Bob’s Red Mill is a recommended brand)
1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted hemp seed
1 cup golden raisins
1. In a double boiler, melt cannamargarine over medium heat. Continuing heating over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cannabis is brown and crispy.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3. Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, sift together hemp flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. In another bowl, blend the melted cannamargarine, brown sugar, sweetener, vanilla, and ¾ cup water together. Beat eggs and add to cannamargarine mixture, then stir into the flour mixture. Add cereal, walnuts, dried cranberries, hemp seed, and raisins. Mix well.
6. Form your dough into walnut-size pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be soft in the center, with light brown edges. Cool on racks.