Ten Holiday-Inspired Edibles Recipes

Thanksgiving has passed and December is finally upon us, so I don't feel guilty for putting on an ugly sweater or blasting James Brown's Funky Christmas in the morning. Celebrating a single holiday for more than a month never made much sense when I was younger, but now that the sunlight is short-lived and credit-card bills are crushing my cheer, a little holiday spirit is starting to feel useful.

For many, spending holiday time indoors often involves watching something hot and delicious cook in the oven. And thanks to cannabis edibles, gingerbread men aren't the only ones getting baked on cold winter nights anymore. Combining pot and holiday traditions can be fun in a variety of ways. I've been cooking up some of my favorites and trying out a few new ones to package up. Here are ten tasty edible recipes for those times when guests and relatives show up. Just be sure to label them for Santa!

Apple Cider
Hot cocoa and eggnog might get most of the attention, but hot apple cider has become a favorite the more I distance myself from dairy. Although its lack of fatty ingredients means it can't be infused via cannabutter or milk, this cider recipe uses tincture, liquid-infused THC you can make at home or buy at dispensaries.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
The pumpkin-spice fad never grabbed my household, but it can still taste good when used moderately. Pumpkin and cinnamon are two holiday flavors that pair well with coffee and tea in the morning, and incorporating them into fluffy pancakes is a way to treat yourself without going full-chubs with pumpkin pie. This recipe calls for 1/4 of a cup of infused cooking oil, but you can substitute that with a 1/2 cup of melted butter.

Gingerbread Truffles
Gingerbread is a classic, but why not fancy things up a little this year? Infused with coconut oil, these vegan truffles are ready in fifteen minutes, according to their creator, who has admittedly "put cannabis in a shit ton of gingerbread stuff." Roll these up while listening to some holiday tunes, and keep them in the fridge for when they're needed — you'll know when.

Monkey Bread
Making monkey bread on Christmas morning was a time-honored tradition when I was growing up, one my family still enjoys. But who am I to tell you on which day you enjoy this delicacy? The recipe calls for cannabutter, essential for the brown-sugar sauce that makes people go apeshit for monkey bread.

Toffee
Sticky, delicious and usually reserved for old folks, toffee seems to carry a little more weight during Christmas time. This recipe uses hash oil; some dispensaries, like Terrapin Care Station, sell pre-filled syringes with hash oil that are easy to add to recipes. But you could also substitute the hash oil with kief or cannabutter if you don't feel like buying hash.

S'mores Pie
Yeah, yeah, I hear you: S'mores are a campfire treat. But this recipe is made in a pie pan, making it a shareable, slice-able, smash-able dish for home and parties. Remember how scrumptious s'mores sounded in The Sandlot, when Hamilton Porter is telling Smalls how to make them over a campfire? This recipe calls for an oven, so you won't be able to re-create that — but the dish will get you higher than a Great Bambino homer.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Simple and amazing. I'm not sure why these pop up so much during the holidays, but I'm glad they do. This recipe calls for cannabutter, but the cookies can be made with any preferred cooking oil, and they don't taste much different than their non-infused inspiration. Hell, you could even use a pre-made mixture of peanut butter cookie dough, as long as you add the cannabutter – and the Kisses.

Challah Bread
Challah is a bulbous Jewish bread made with eggs that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. This is a savory recipe, using lemon juice in the dough and hemp seeds, dried crushed garlic and onion flakes as toppings. However, if you skip the herbs and use a little more sugar in the dough, it could be used for French toast, bread pudding or streusel toasts.

Apple Butter
For those of you too lazy to make French toast or bread pudding, lathering some apple butter on your homemade challah is an easy way to sweeten things up. This apple butter recipe, from yours truly, is simple and quick. And don't go easy on the cannabutter.

Potato Latkes
In no way are potato latkes considered a dessert, but the crispy, golden-fried spud fritters are addictive when dipped in applesauce. You don't have to be stoned to get down on that mashup of salty and sweet (though it sure helps), and they're certain to lift your spirits on at least one of the eight nights of Hanukkah.