Stronger Hash Cookies/Brownies

My bf and I have made several batches of cookies, and all seem to have varying strengths. I'd be interested to hear your opinions on our technique, and any advice you might have.
We chop the weed, and leave it in a small amount of alcohol (usually vodka. I've read that higher-proof alcohols like ethanol or methanol work better, but I don't like the idea of that around my food. Just nervous about it not all being removed during the cooking process I guess). After a few hours the vodka starts to look oily, as it has started to extract the THC (as is my understanding).
After a few days we dump the whole lot into some butter and cook it until all the alcohol has dissolved off. We then strain it through a dishcloth to remove the weed (and put the weed aside for next time. I have read and proven that it does work twice).
Sometimes they're pretty strong, other times there's not much in them (no, not just on the second time round, or when it's weaker weed).
I'm interested to know
- Thoughts on the alcohol process. I've read this on the web, but I realise some people skip it all together. Is it effective? Would more alcohol draw out more THC (ie, could we be saturating the alcohol)?
- Using more butter (could we be saturating the butter with THC)?
- Just baking cookies with the weed chucked straight in?
- Anything else that might help?
I've had killer cookies from Nimbin (Aussie hippie town!) where half had me floored for a full day, but I usually need 3-4 of my own which don't last half as long.
Cheers
MissKris.

I'd either use pure ethanol (Safe enough, so long as it's pure. You drink it mixed with water every time you have normal vodka.) or lightly sautee the marijuana in butter.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
depends on where you get your "pure ethanol"
if it is ethanol from a chem lab - it is NOT SAFE to ingest. they purposly add (relatively) inactive components to make it non-ingestible (benzene etc)...this will at best make you sick and at worst kill you
and with my experience you don't need to do the ethanol step. my best experience i let my dope simmer at low in butter for a whole day. i then used this directly in my cookie recipe (i didn't filter off anything out of fear of losing product). it worked amazingly.

This works everytime and the cookies are fucking mad.
You will need:
One pound of Leaf.
Half a stick of butter.
Crock Pot.
Some water.
A stocking.
Break up the leaf as much as you can be fucked.
Fill the pot a couple of centimetres high with water.
Add some leaf, then, so that you always have a good ratio of leaf and water (ie. all leaf covered in water, but not excessive amount of liquid), add leaf and water accordingly.
Once your pound of leaf has been mashed and soaked through the water, bring to boil, add half a stick of butter and lightly simmer for twenty four hours or longer even.
At the end of this, pour liquid into icecream container, then get all leaf matter and stuff into into a stocking.
Ring that bitch of a stocking 'til your hands hurt (into the same icecream container), so that you do not lose any of those precious THC-laden, fat molecules.
Freezer the container, to separate polar and non polar layers.
Butter should be the darkest green you'll ever see.
Make a couple of batches of cookies with your half stick of butter. One (small) cookie floors me, two make me chuck. Don't even think about giving one to your kid brother/sister.
Recipe courtesy of Aunty K.
Sweet dreams .

Much appreciated. But...
"Freezer the container, to separate polar and non polar layers."
...I don't understand what this does?

^^^^^^
Basically all you're doing is separating the water (your polar layer) from your fats and oils (nonpolar), which contain your THC and assorted cannabinoids. The cold will just make this easier as the butter and water will both solidify and you will just be able to scrape the butter up off the ice. You could just let your mix sit out until the butter congeals and then scoop the butter off the water, but unfortunately it will take a longer time for that to happen than if you just tossed it in the freezer, and you may also run the risk of having your butter go rancid. Tossing it in the freezer just speeds up the process and reduces risks of spoilage.

Ah right, I understand
I didn't realise there would still be water left after simmering for 24 hours...
Cheers

Ok, another question...my method doesn't smell up the house. I've heard that using this method with a crock pot for 24 hours or more makes the whole house reek...true or not true?

makes a room smell for a day or two, but not the whole house. if i were living at home i wouldn't try it...
wait who am i kidding, my dad would be the first to try my cookies! haha :D

good one RevHead.. best description of how to make ganja butter I've seen in a while

Yeah, the interesting thing about making these cookies (PlurredChem and I are roommates, so it's my room too!) is that it didn't EXACTLY smell like marijuana, but it didn't smell entirely kosher, if you know what I mean. If I were a parent, I would be nosy about this. Then I would share one with PlurredChem's dad!