To make a cannabis chocolate bar, decarboxylate the cannabis, infuse it into cocoa butter, melt and temper chocolate, stir in a measured dose of the infused cocoa butter, then pour the mix into a mold and let it set. The process takes about 90 minutes from start to finish, and the finished bar keeps for weeks in the fridge.

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Most homemade bars fail for one of two reasons: too much added fat, which stops the chocolate from setting, or a dose far higher than the cook expects. Both problems are easy to fix with a scale and a calculator.

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What you need to make cannabis chocolate

Gather everything before you start, since melted chocolate gives you little time to hunt for tools.

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  • Chocolate: 8 oz (225 g) of dark, semisweet, or milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces. Bars or couverture work better than chips, which contain stabilizers that fight tempering.
  • Cannabis cocoa butter: 1 to 2 tbsp, or 1 to 2 g of decarbed oil, hash, or another concentrate.
  • Mold: a silicone chocolate bar mold, or an ice cube tray in a pinch.
  • Heat source: a double boiler, or a heat-safe bowl set over a pot of water at a low simmer.
  • Thermometer: a candy or instant-read thermometer. Chocolate needs exact temperatures.
  • Tools: spatula, small whisk, parchment paper, and a digital scale for dosing.

Step 1: Decarb the cannabis

Raw cannabis holds THCA, which does not get you high. Heat converts THCA into THC, and that step cannot be skipped.

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  1. Break the flower into small pieces and spread it on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
  2. Bake at 240°F (115°C) for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir once at the halfway mark.
  3. Cool the flower, then grind it to a coarse powder.

If you are using a concentrate instead of flower, skip the grinding. You will stir the concentrate into warm cocoa butter later.

Step 2: Make cannabis cocoa butter

Cocoa butter is the fat that makes chocolate hard at room temperature, so infusing it keeps the texture of the bar intact.

Method A: Infuse flower into cocoa butter

  1. Melt 1/2 cup (4 oz) of cocoa butter in a double boiler at 160 to 180°F.
  2. Add the decarbed, ground flower and stir.
  3. Hold the heat for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Do not let it boil.
  4. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a jar. Squeeze the plant material to recover the fat.

Method B: Blend concentrate into cocoa butter

Melt the same amount of cocoa butter, let it cool to about 150°F, then stir in decarbed oil or hash until the mixture is uniform. This route is faster, and it gives you a dose you can calculate to the milligram.

Step 3: Melt and temper the chocolate

Tempering gives the bar a clean snap and a glossy top. Skip it and you get a dull, soft bar that smears on your fingers.

  1. Chop two thirds of the chocolate and melt it in a bowl over a pot of water at a low simmer. Dark chocolate should reach 115 to 120°F, milk chocolate 110 to 115°F.
  2. Pull the bowl off the heat and wipe any water off the bottom. A single drop of water turns the chocolate grainy.
  3. Add the remaining chopped chocolate and stir until it melts and the temperature drops to 88 to 89°F for dark chocolate, or 86 to 88°F for milk.

Step 4: Add the cannabis and pour the bars

  1. Stir 1 to 2 tbsp of cannabis cocoa butter into the tempered chocolate. Keep added fat at or below 2 tbsp per 8 oz, or the bars stay soft.
  2. Stir for 30 seconds, then stop. More stirring cools the chocolate past its working range.
  3. Pour into the mold and tap it on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.
  4. Scrape the top flat with a spatula.

Step 5: Set, cut, and label

Let the mold sit at room temperature, around 65 to 70°F, for 1 to 2 hours. The fridge works in a pinch (about 10 minutes), but move the bars back to room temperature once they firm up so they do not sweat.

Write the total THC per bar on the wrapper. Homemade edibles look exactly like regular chocolate, and that is how accidents happen.

How do you dose a cannabis chocolate bar?

Do the math before you melt anything.

  • Multiply the weight of your cannabis by its THC percentage. One gram of flower that tests 20% THC holds 200 mg of THC on paper.
  • Subtract a loss for decarb and straining. Plan on losing 10 to 20%, which leaves about 160 to 180 mg.
  • Divide by the number of bars. Ten bars from 170 mg works out to 17 mg each.
  • Cut bars into squares for smaller servings. Many people start at 2.5 to 5 mg, and 10 mg is a standard single serving in states with regulated edibles.

Concentrates are easier to dose because the label lists a THC percentage you can trust.

Common mistakes with cannabis chocolate

  • Too much fat. Extra oil lowers the melting point and the bar never sets firm.
  • Water in the bowl. One splash seizes the chocolate into a gritty paste.
  • Heat above 120°F. Chocolate burns and turns chalky.
  • Unlabeled bars. Anyone in the house can mistake them for candy.
  • Eating more too soon. Edibles take 30 to 90 minutes to hit, with peak effects at 2 to 4 hours.

How should you store cannabis chocolate?

Wrap the bars in foil, then place them in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot. They hold for 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature, 2 to 3 months in the fridge, and up to 6 months in the freezer.

A white film on the surface is bloom, which happens when cocoa butter or sugar separates. It is safe to eat, but the texture suffers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use butter or coconut oil instead of cocoa butter?

You can, but a plain butter infusion will not set at room temperature. Use it in a ganache filling or a truffle instead of a molded bar. Coconut oil behaves the same way: good for baking, poor for snapping chocolate.

Do I have to decarb cannabis before making chocolate?

Yes. Without heat, THCA stays inactive and the bar will not produce effects. Decarbing also cuts the raw, grassy taste that carries into the finished bar.

Can I make cannabis chocolate without a mold?

Yes. Spread the chocolate on parchment, let it set, then break it into shards. Weigh the whole slab and divide by weight to keep servings consistent.

Is homemade cannabis chocolate legal?

It depends on where you live. Home infusion is allowed in some states with legal cannabis, while others limit home extraction with solvents or ban homemade edibles outright. Check your state's rules before you start.