Cookies and Cream (or Cookies N Cream) is a smooth and sweet-tasting hybrid that offers a long-lasting and balanced high. Created by breeders Exotic Genetix, this strain is a cross between two hybrids: pungent Starfighter and an unnamed one of the many different phenotypes of Girl Scout Cookies.
Although Cookies and Cream can lean sativa or indica depending on the pheno, it provides an ideal combination of both cerebral and physical effects. This flavorful flower took First Prize in the 2014 High Times Cannabis Cup for Best U.S. Hybrid. Cannabis laboratory Analytics 360 has consistently found flowers of Cookies and Cream to have a THC composition of 20% to an impressive 25%.
Buds of Cookies and Cream are small to medium-sized and do not typically adhere in large, chunky clusters. When properly cured, the flowers appear medium to dark green, and yellow pistils are threaded in and out of the densely-packed leaves. Icy white trichomes dot the flowers, making buds only slightly sticky and still easy to break apart. Cookies and Cream’s name promises a dessert-like flavor profile -- and with a sweet, vaguely vanilla scent, these flowers don’t disappoint. There’s also a hint of sourness that may remind smoke aficionados of staple strain Cheese. When burnt, this strain hits easily with a very smooth smoke. Users may notice a creamy mouthfeel on the inhale. Cookies and Cream leaves a nutty, toasted flavor when exhaled. Parent strain Starfighter also imparts some lingering skunkiness, so any smokers trying to keep their consumption secret should take the necessary precautions.
This strain has a high that mounts gradually, beginning as a dizzy lightheadedness and progressing towards full body relaxation. While they savor Cookies and Cream’s taste, users may begin to notice a pressure around the temples. Rather than analytical and intense, the mental effects of this strain seem to have more to do with mood. Euphoric feelings may set in, along with intensified sensory perception. These psychedelic sensations are matched by a weightiness in the head and limbs which, if not totally incapacitating, at leaves smokers feeling somewhat lazy. Thorough relaxation is the name of the game here, complented by a kind of dreamy mental stimulation. Cookies and Cream’s semi-narcotic effects make it a great medical strain for a range of physical ailments. Aches, pains, and soreness can melt away even with relatively small doses. In larger doses, this flower can also combat insomnia, lulling users into deep, heavy sleep. Cookies and Cream can also help temporarily relieve some of the troubling symptoms of stress and anxiety disorders, minimizing worries and uplifting mood. Dry mouth, red eyes, and a persistent tightness around the eyes are commonly reported as negative side effects. Since this is a potent crossbreed, a small amount goes a long way, even for more experienced users.
Cookies and Cream is typically a difficult, temperamental strain to grow and is not recommended for first-time cultivators. Although it’s lesser-known and clones may be hard to come by, breeders Exotic Genetix have fortunately made seeds of Cookies and Cream available for sale. This plant can be successfully grown indoors or outdoors, but outdoor growing requires warm and semi-humid, Mediterranean-like climates, with daytime temperatures in the 70 to 80 degree Fahrenheit range. Grown indoors, plants reach medium height; any taller phenotypes can be trained to fit within their grow space if their branches are bent and pruned early on in the vegetative stage. Growers should also top their plants by regulating trimming any light-blocking fan leaves in order to encourage lower nodes to give maximum yield. Cookies and Cream has a very short flowering time -- grown indoors, plants are ready for harvest within 8 to 9 weeks.
A well-rounded strain that won’t leave you either too couchlocked or too paranoid to function, Cookies and Cream is a great option for any time of day. It’s equally enjoyable in social and solo settings, as long as smokers are in a relaxed setting and maintain a positive outlook. Although it may inspire some creativity, Cookies and Cream is probably not the best flower to smoke if you need to need the motivation to blow through your to-do list. Instead, use it to enhance a long, aimless walk or a binge-watching session.