Yesterday I posted my first pumpkin of the season, which of course means there were plenty of pumpkin seeds to either toss or toast. I decided to toast them. If you’re willing to do the work to clean the pumpkin seeds from a freshly cut or carved pumpkin, they can make a great snack on the go.
To prepare your pumpkin seeds:
As you pull the seeds and guts from your pumpkin, throw them in a bowl full of cold water.
As you separate the seeds from the guts of the pumpkin, place them in another bowl of cold water. The second bowl should have nothing but water & seeds when you’re done.
Drain the seeds.
Line a baking sheet with foil, place the seeds evenly over the baking sheet and cover with a couple paper towels or clean dry dish towel.
Let the seeds dry out for a day or two. It may be tempting to try and toast them right away, but they will come out much better if you let them sit at least over night. Cooking them too early may cause them to be chewy instead of crispy.
When you are ready to toast the seeds:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Once the seeds are completely dry, put them in a plastic storage bag. Coat with a little bit of olive oil or melted butter. Since the qty. of pumpkins you will get vary from pumpkin to pumpkin there really isn’t an exact science or recipe. I recommend coating them just so that there is enough for any seasoning to stick to each of the seeds.
Add in your seasoning and toss them in the bag until evenly coated. You can use any seasoning you like. Salt is a classic, but you can also use sugars, cinnamon, dip mixes, etc. I like to use a mild grilling seasoned salt. A little goes a long way, maybe 1-2 tsp per bag depending on qty. of seeds and desired taste.
Place the seeds back on the foil lined baking sheet and evenly spread them out.
Place in middle oven rack and turn every 10-15 minutes.
Seeds will be toasted in 45-50 minutes. When they start to turn a golden brown color, they are done. Remove from oven and let cool.
Once cooled, store in an air tight container.
Enjoy!
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