'CBD Drinks for Health': Refreshing CBD Bubble Tea Recipe

Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

CBD oil is a hot topic right now, and it's easy to see why: Cannabidiol oil can quickly reduce stress, anxiety, pain, and inflammation. In this special selection from her new book CBD Drinks for Health, available now from CBS' sister company Simon & Schuster, nutritional expert Carlene Thomas shares a refreshing recipe for CBD-infused bubble tea.

Bubble tea (a.k.a. boba tea) is a drink from Taiwan that features tea and attention-grabbing large tapioca pearls. Tapioca is a starch that comes from the roots of the cassava plant and the resulting pearls are a fun chewy treat when sucked up through a large bubble tea straw. The best part of this CBD recipe? Once you make these pearls, you can store them for several days for bubble tea on demand. You can also try this tea with matcha instead of black tea for an earthier flavor and fun color.

Photo Credit: Chris Thomas

CBD BUBBLE TEA RECIPE

Yields 4 (1 ½-cup) servings

INGREDIENTS

Tapioca Pearls

• 6 cups water, divided
• 1⁄2 cup large, dried black tapioca pearls
• 1 cup light brown sugar

Salted Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1⁄2 ounces CBD Simple Syrup
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CBD Bubble Tea

• 4 cups water
• 4 black tea bags
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk

DIRECTIONS

1. For Tapioca Pearls: In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil over high heat.
2. Once water is boiling, add tapioca, stir, and continue cooking on high for 7 minutes, or until tapioca pearls oat. Then cover saucepan with a lid and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Uncover saucepan, remove from heat, and let sit for 3 minutes.
4. Strain pearls with a fine mesh sieve and discard cooking liquid. Place sieve and pearls in a large bowl.
5. Boil 1 cup of water. Add brown sugar on top of pearls and pour boiling water over top. Let's it and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator with liquid for up to two days.
6. For Salted Cream: In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a whisk, beat cream, CBD Simple Syrup, salt, and vanilla until thickened.
7. For CBD Bubble Tea: Boil 4 cups of water and add four tea bags. Cover and steep 5 minutes, then discard tea bags.
8. To serve, add 2 tablespoons of tapioca pearls to four glasses. Add ½ cup almond milk to each glass, then add 1 cup of tea. Top each glass with equal amounts Salted Cream. Serve immediately with a large-diameter bubble tea straw.

REHEATING TAPIOCA PEARLS

To keep your tapioca pearls chewy, not hard, after storage, heat the liquid and pearls in the microwave for 1 minute, or until the pearls become black and glossy and soft again before topping with tea and Salted Cream.

PER SERVING

• Calories: 336
• Fat: 22g
• Protein: 2g
• Sodium: 266mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 31g
• Sugar: 14g

Excerpted from CBD Drinks for Health by Carlene Thomas. Copyright © 2020 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photographs by Chris Thomas. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.