Friday, October 17, 2014

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds


Pumpkin seeds are such a fun added bonus to the pumpkin carving experience! They're a great blank canvas for sweet or savory seasonings, and I thought I'd go with a little bit of both for this recipe. It's autumn overload in the best way - Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds! Sweet and spicy Pumpkin Pie Spice mixes with salt and sugar for a perfectly festive fall snack.  



Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Pumpkin Pie Spice
Makes 1 cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Clean pumpkin seeds in a colander under running water. Remove any pumpkin membrane.
3. Pat seeds dry with a paper towel.
4. Mix all ingredients together.
5. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes. All ovens are different, so watch the seeds carefully at the end of the cook time. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Clean the fresh pumpkin seeds. It can be a messy job getting those seeds out! They're a wonderful added bonus to pumpkin carving though, a tasty roasted autumnal snack.

2. continued - Place the seeds an a colander under running water and rinse rinse rinse.

 2. continued - The goal is to get rid of all of the orange membrane from the pumpkin. Remove any orange pieces you see.

2. continued - Nice and clean!


3. Place the seeds in a relatively flat pile on a paper towel and pat dry.

3. continued - Make a little paper towel-pumpkin seed sandwich and pat off as much moisture as you can. The seeds will roast better if they are dry!

4. Mix all ingredients together.

5. Spread the pumpkin seeds out as evenly as possible on a baking sheet. I almost always line my baking sheets with aluminum foil (regardless of what I'm cooking) for easy clean-up! I didn't find it necessary to grease the baking sheet. The oil on the seeds make them release just fine! 6. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Watch the seeds closely towards the end! Every oven is different and the seeds can quickly go from golden brown to burnt.





Pumpkin Pie Spice





I'm such a sucker for pumpkin spice ANYTHING, and I am not ashamed to admit it! Many pumpkin-spiced recipes call for Pumpkin Pie Spice to give the dish a distinctive fall flavor. Pumpkin Pie Spice IS sold in stores, but you probably already have the ingredients needed to make it yourself! Sweet cinnamon and spicy nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all spice make up the warm, intoxicating autumnal combination. 

This spice mixture crops up in so many fall recipes that you'll find plenty of uses for it! My Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are pumpkin-pie-spiced with a hint of sugar and salt for a sweet and savory flavor. I've also been mixing just a teensy bit of Pumpkin Pie Spice in my morning coffee, so with each sip I get a whiff of fall which perks me up almost as much as the caffeine! I get truly giddy this time of year with the holidays rolling around. I just can't help myself. I'll have to find the self control to not add this spice mixture to everything in the coming months!



Pumpkin Pie Spice
Makes 5 Tablespoons

Ingredients
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground all spice

Mix spices together and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!






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