Emulsion Technology & The Stability Factor
CBD Bow-Wow Blueberry Treats
May is National Pet Month, and there’s no better way to celebrate the joy your canine companion brings you than by baking your own dog biscuits! There’s no doubt that this easy-to-make treat recipe will keep Fido by your side and hanging on your every word, including “Sit,” “Down,” “Stay,” and “Leave it!”
YIELD: 50 Bones
CBD: 5mg per each
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 2.5 grams CBD SōRSE isolate powder
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, puréed
- 1 egg
- 2 T. unrefined coconut oil
- Water, as needed
Mix dry ingredients and SōRSE powder until evenly incorporated. Mix purée and the rest of ingredients together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the liquid ingredients into the well. Slowly, using wooden spoon or stiff spatula, fold in to incorporate. If still dry, add water until dough ball starts to form. Pull dough out of the bowl onto a plastic–ined counter top. Begin to knead dough until it forms into a ball. Place ball in between two separate sheets of parchment and press with hands to flatten. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat, about 1/4” thick. Cut with desired dog bone cookie cutter shapes. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Carrot Cake Date Waffles
It’s important to have a balanced diet and start the day off on the right foot with a nutritious meal. Chef Stacy knows how to whip up a spectacular breakfast that provides not only all the nutrients, deliciousness, but also the CBD! Try out her CBD Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Date Waffles with toasted pecans topped with a luscious maple cream cheese icing. Note: Use fresh grated carrots.
#WeCarrotBoutyou #StayCalmandWaffleOn
YIELD: 10 waffles
CBD: 20mg per waffle
Ingredients:
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 grams SōRSE powder
- 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 2 T light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg, whole
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 2 cups carrots, grated fresh
- 1/2 cup dates, chopped
Icing:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temp
- 4 oz. butter, unsalted, softened at room temp
- 6 oz. Grade B (if available) maple syrup
Preheat oven to 300F. Spread the cinnamon and one whole nutmeg on lined baking tray. Heat for 5 minutes max, just until spices are aromatic. Let cool. Set oven to 250F. Mix all dry ingredients including SōRSE powder, together very well until completely incorporated. Add cinnamon and using a microplane (fine zester for citrus), lightly shave nutmeg into bowl. Mix again, to blend the spices in thoroughly. Turn waffle iron to let heat.
Separately, by hand or in mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in bowl. With mixer on low, increase to medium speed for about 5 minutes until frothy. Add freshly grated carrots and dates to wet mix. Slowly pour wet mixture into dry mixture, using a hand held whisk at first and then switching to a spatula. Do NOT overmix, just gently fold the mixture onto itself until no dry patches of flour appear.
Open waffle iron, spray with pan release spray evenly. Using a level portion scoop (4 oz. – depending on your waffle maker size), scoop into cavity and use small offset spatula to spread evenly. Close iron, wait until light turns green. When each waffle is done, put on lined sheet pan and tent with foil. To keep crispy and hot place in oven for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.
Whip cream cheese with mixer using paddle attachment until light and creamy, no visible bumps appear. Scrape down with spatula. Add butter. Whip another 3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape bowl (making sure to reach the very bottom). Put on speed 1, and slowly pour the syrup in until consistency is thick but saucy.
Plate up waffles, pour maple cream over top. Garnish suggestion: toasted pecans and powdered sugar.
Webinar: How to Select a CBD Supplier
All CBD is not created equal, so how do you identify a quality supplier in the burgeoning CBD and hemp industry? Join Our Regulatory Manager, Mike Schmitt, as he walks through the key differentiators to help you select the CBD supplier that’s right for you and your product development needs.
Tropical CBD Cupcakes
If you’re getting the island blues this spring break, staying in and baking these cupcakes inspired by the tropics is a good fix. It’s also a great way to use that banana that turned brown and is now in the freezer. The pineapple can also be fresh, canned, or previously frozen. In Chef Stacy’s household, she tries to use everything and waste nothing. Here’s an opportunity to get a little Vitamin “sea” with your CBD!
YEILD: 16 cupcakes
10mg CBD per cupcake
Tropical Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5.33 grams liquid SōRSE CBD
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 oz. pineapple, fresh, chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup pecans, toasted, chopped
- ½ cup coconut, shredded, unsweetened
- 1 banana (frozen – great for old bananas kept in the freezer)
- *defrosted in microwave– cut off tip and squeeze like toothpaste the banana out
ICING:
- 2 (8 oz. pkg) cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 ½ oz. butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted separately
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 325F.
Sift dry ingredients, set aside. Mix together the oil, cup, eggs, and vanilla in an electric mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment until pale yellow and thickened (about 6 minutes). Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet, until just combined; do not overmix. Scrape the bowl with a spatula (even the bottom where ingredients might hide), then mix an additional 30 seconds. Stop mixer. Add the rest of fruit and nuts, then mix for another minute on speed 1.
Use a #20 yellow dish scoop (or a 1.5 oz scoop) for each cupcake; make sure the scoop is evenly flat after filled. Fill 16 cupcake lined molds. Place in oven for approx. 10-12 minutes (make the cream cheese icing while cupcakes are in the oven – see below), then rotate the pan halfway. Bake another 10 minutes until the cupcakes no longer look wet on top and a finger depressed will cause the cake to just bounce back. If finger leaves an indentation, leave in a few more minutes. Take out of the oven, and before they cool fully, remove gently from pan to sit on a cooling rack. (If left in the pan, they will shrink in size.)
Beat cream cheese in mixer fitted with paddle attachment until there are no lumps present (approx. 10 minutes), scrape the bowl very well, add butter, continue to mix another 5 minutes, scrape. While mixer is OFF, add the confectioners’ sugar; turn mixer on the lowest speed to incorporate. Add vanilla. Scrape again, mix again another 30 seconds. Wait until cupcakes are completely cooled before icing them.
5 Steps for Creating a CBD Infused Beverage
Jacob Schweppe. Dr. John Pemberton. Caleb Bradham. Perhaps only one of these names sounds familiar to you — Jacob Schweppe — because you can find his last name in every grocery store on bottles and cans of ginger ale, club soda, and tonic water. Schweppe first began selling seltzer in Geneva 237 years ago in 1783, 30 years after carbonation techniques were developed. The other men created two of the most famous beverages in the world: Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886, and Bradham developed Pepsi-Cola in 1898.
Beyond being the founders of three iconic beverage brands, these gentlemen had something else in common, something they share with people who are creating beverages today — their drinks started with an idea and inspiration. Perhaps you, like them, want to make an infused beverage, perhaps inspired by a drink you loved as a kid, a drink that you had on vacation, or a drink that you concocted in your kitchen for fun. How do you take that idea and turn it into a viable product that you might find on a store shelf? Here are the Top 5 Things You Need to Know to Create an Infused CBD Beverage from three SōRSE producers themselves.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET CONSUMER — GET TO KNOW THEM INSIDE AND OUT
The first thing you need to know is that a product is more successful when you are passionate about an idea. There are a lot of really good ideas out there, but good ideas are only successful when they happen at the right time and the right place. Ask yourself why you want to do it and what you can bring to the table. What is your niche, and how are you going to differentiate yourself and excel?
In the idea generation phase, you need to identify your audience — who is going to buy your beverage and where that person would buy it. The profile of your target consumer should be as specific as possible. You should be able to picture what that person looks like in your head; you should know what kind of clothes they shop for, what kind of cereal they would buy, and where they would buy it. You have to get in their head and see the world through their eyes. You need to know what is important to them.
When you do market and consumer research, do a deep dive on all the different things your consumer is attracted to, all the while focusing on how your product is going to appeal to them AND be different. When you market to a consumer, you can talk about all the positives of your product, but you have to talk about what makes yours unique. One of those positives has to be something that no other producer can talk about.
Product development is like any other sort of idea generation — you need to do tons of research to really know your audience. When you are creating an infused beverage with CBD or another cannabinoid, the narrower you can make your consumer, the more successful you will be. You want to create a beverage that someone will stop to buy in the middle of the day somewhere; you want that repeat customer. Your drink being delicious isn’t enough — you need to create a need in your customer so that they will keep coming back.
It’s also important to visualize what your consumer is doing when they are drinking your beverage. This will help you create a marketing focus which will then tie into the format you choose, your packaging, the color palette for your branding, and the words you use to draw attention to your product. When someone sees your product in a store, you want them to wonder what it is. Once you hook them in with the look of your product, your flavor will keep them there.
2. DETERMINE WHAT FORMAT YOU WANT YOUR PRODUCT TO COME IN — GLASS, CAN, POWDER, RIP AND SIP, CONCENTRATE OR DROPS
When looking for where your product will fit in in the marketplace, it’s best to examine other products your consumer might purchase and what the packaging looks like. Packaging and labeling are the first visual and tactile interactions a customer has with your product, so that first level of engagement is important. Is your consumer drawn to natural products? Do they buy glass over plastic because they are concerned about their environmental footprint? Do they buy products with fruits and vegetables on their labels? Your label and packaging should reflect your company ethos and what makes your product different. You should also consider how your consumer takes in information about products and how they digest it. Where the products they are buying are being advertised — on social media? In print? Is the product being handed out at events?
3. CREATING A FLAVOR PROFILE AND DETERMINING DOSING
Adding CBD to a beverage formula that already exists is relatively easy, but if you are starting the process from scratch and creating something new, you can begin by looking at food trends. Those tend to start at boutique, culinary restaurants. Eventually they can trickle down and show up in other places and then be transferred into color palettes, clothing, ice cream flavors, all the way down to the fast food level — the highly accessible level. Microtrends are ones that are just emerging, mainstream trends are ones that appeal to a lot of people, and then there are trends that are on their way out.
Today, national and global travel is relatively easy — so people are exposed to new flavors and are generally open to trying other cultures’ flavors. That said, it helps to use a base flavor that is transferable and versatile in almost any recipe. The secondary flavors are the ones that might be more out there — one that you wouldn’t expect to see paired with the base flavor. For example, citrus is a common base flavor, and it pairs well with other secondary flavors like mint or berry.
When it comes to choosing the type of CBD you want to infuse in your drink, you have a few options. If you want a beverage with a clean, specific flavor profile, use an isolate. If you know that your customer will prefer the flavor of cannabis and will appreciate the nuances of the botanical flavors, then you would choose a broad spectrum. Broad spectrum adds another layer of complexity which some see as a perk and premium.
You will also need to determine how many milligrams per serving of your cannabinoid will be in your beverage. If you are making a recovery drink, then you might offer 25 mg to the consumer; if you are creating an herbal tea for the evening, then you might choose 10-15 mg per serving.
4. FIND A TRUSTED CBD SUPPLIER
When making an infused beverage, consumer safety should be your #1 concern. That means that your label claims need to be accurate, that your beverage is shelf stable, that the product quality has been tested, and that the consumer experience is a positive one. Take the time to find a CBD supplier who has extremely high standards, who are offering the best product on the market.
The company supplying your CBD should be following regulatory protocols, supplying documents that verify product quality, offering the appropriate solution for your beverage, and offering implementation support. Look carefully at the types of CBD the supplier offers — water-soluble solutions, oil-based solutions, and emulsions — and work with them to find the best solution for your product. You will also want to work with a lab that can independently test your product and that is open to communication with your CBD supplier.
If you are working with a company that offers an emulsion, make sure that the emulsion is their priority and not simply an add-on offering. Look for an emulsion that is stable in its raw form and in the letdown, as well as one that has been tested for shelf life. If the company cannot supply documentation on their product like a Certificate of Analysis, Product Data Sheets and Safety Data Sheets, it’s time to find a different supplier!
5. BASED ON YOUR TARGET CONSUMER, IDENTIFY WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO PRODUCE YOUR BEVERAGE AND WHO IS GOING TO PRODUCE IT FOR YOU
Figuring out who your consumer is is also tied to where you are going to produce your product. If you want to sell to an audience in a specific state and there is a manufacturing center in that state, you’ll save a lot of money by producing it as close as possible to your market area. Also, if there is a facility producing a product similar to yours and it’s considered a turnkey process for them, you will be more successful commercializing your product because they already have experience making something similar.
When you are ready to produce your beverage, look for a co-manufacturer who has produced other infused beverages. A company that understands CBD as an ingredient and has produced other CBD beverages will understand how to work with it. Doing test batches is key because it will allow you to tweak your formula if you need to.
Creating a product for consumer use is an exercise in creativity, analysis, problem-solving, flexibility and collaboration. You might hit bumps in the road along the way of getting your CBD beverage to a grocery store shelf, but if you work with a CBD supplier and co-manufacturer who has experience working with cannabinoids, they will be able to collaborate and work with you throughout the process. At SōRSE, our R&D team is well-versed in beverage production from concept to final product and welcomes the opportunity to help bring your dream to life and your product to market. Schedule an exploratory call today with SōRSE to get started on your infused CBD beverage journey!
CBD-Infused Guacamole
It’s almost time to gather around the big screen for March Madness, college basketball’s tournament of champions. Planning a viewing party? Going over to a friend’s house for a full day of game-watching? Grab a few bags of chips at the store and whip up some CBD-infused Guacamole using Chef Stacy’s recipe!
YIELD: 2 servings
CBD: 20 mg per serving
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 Haas avocados
- 1 lime, squeezed
- 1.667 grams SōRSE liquid
- 2 T fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 T red onion, chopped fine
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- Dash of Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
Split the avocados in half, remove the pits, peel, and then cut into 1/2” cubes. In a large bowl, gently fold the avocados, lime juice, SōRSE liquid, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, onion, and cumin together. Season with salt. Dash of cumin on top.
Valentine’s Day Recipe: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – and nothing says “I love you!” more than a healthy dose of chocolate. Chef Stacy Primack took the Valentine’s game to the next level with this jazzed-up version of Hot Chocolate, fashioned in the style of Red Velvet cake. Once you’ve made a batch of this perfect winter beverage, don’t forget to top this perfect February beverage with CBD-infused XO Marshmallows #PoweredBySōRSE.
YIELD: 2 servings
15 mg CBD per serving
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 c. milk*
- 1 1/2 c. cream*
- 1 gram SōRSE liquid (isolate or broad spectrum)
- 1 vanilla bean, split down the middle and scraped
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3/4 c. honey
- 4 oz. 72% cacao semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 T. red food coloring
- 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
- 1 T. vanilla pudding mix
DIRECTIONS
Heat the milk, cream, SōRSE, vanilla bean seeds, salt and honey to a scald. Whisk together. Add chocolate, food coloring, cocoa, and pudding mix. Whisk until frothy. Split the hot chocolate evenly between mugs. Serve with whipped cream, marshmallows, or as desired.
*If you are lactose intolerant or are allergic to dairy products, you can substitute coconut milk for the milk and cream.
January Recipe: Carrot-Ginger Soup
If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to eat more vegetables, this healthy and hearty soup recipe from Chef Stacy Primack will do the trick! Soup is one of the most satisfying winter foods, and this recipe will not disappoint with the sweetness of the carrots and squash mingling nicely with the crunch of the broccoli and bread.
YIELD: 4 servings
10mg CBD per serving
INGREDIENTS
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 green onions (green part sliced at a bias), white part, chopped
- 2 T. ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 (14oz.) can light coconut milk
- 1 (15oz.) can cannellini beans
- 3 cups water
- 5 carrots, chopped rough
- 1/2 acorn squash, seeded, chopped
- 1.333 grams SōRSE liquid
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped rough
- 2 slices thick bread (like brioche), cut into cubes
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 green onions (green part sliced at a bias), white part, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven pot. Bring to medium-high heat, add garlic, ginger, white part of scallions, and cook soft about 2 minutes. Add carrots, salt and pepper. Cook another couple of minutes.
3. In the meantime, on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan, toss squash pieces in olive oil and cook in over until roasted and soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Add coconut milk, beans and liquid inside bean can, and water to Dutch oven on stove. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and stir often; cook for another 20 minutes until carrots have softened. Add squash to this mix. Add SōRSE.
5. Toss broccoli and bread into bowl with more olive oil with salt and pepper, spread onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roast and stir until broccoli is tender and browned and bread is toasted, about 15 min.
6. Puree soup in a blender in batches or with an immersion blender. Season with more salt and pepper. Divide soup among the bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and top with broccoli, croutons, and scallions (green biased-cut pieces).
Holiday Recipe: Celebratory Cran-Apple Sauce
There’s much to celebrate at this time of year — Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s to name a few. With these holidays come celebrations with friends and family, sharing food, clinking glasses, and enjoying the moment together. Need a dish to bring to a gathering? Try Chef Stacy’s Celebratory Cran-Apple Sauce recipe to complement the turkey, ham, or stuffing on the table.
YIELD: 2.5 quarts
About ½ cup per serving
10mg CBD per serving
INGREDIENTS
- 2 bags frozen cranberries
- 4 cups water
- 8 Macintosh apples, cored (leave skins on if a thicker sauce is preferred), cut into chunks
- 2 cups sugar
- 16.667 grams SōRSE broad spectrum CBD
DIRECTIONS
1. Place cranberries, water, and apples into a large pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn to medium low heat.
2. Cook for approx. 45 minutes until apples are soft to the touch. While hot, transfer portions of cranberry-apple mixture.
3. Put into a food mill with the smallest hole setting. Hand crank until all is pressed through. Stir sugar in, then add CBD until evenly incorporated for even dispersion. Refrigerate overnight.
