Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

toasted-pumpkin-seeds

Fall is here and with it, the pumpkin season.

This was the first year I’ve carved pumpkins in I can’t tell you how long. My oldest son hasn’t been old enough to understand nor participate in the carving and it’s also the first Halloween that we’ve been home in years. For whatever reason, Pete is always really busy this time of year. I have such fond memories of carving pumpkins as a kid. After my Mom covered our kitchen table with old newspapers and threatened my brothers and I to “keep our knives to ourselves”, she patiently moved back and forth between the three of us cutting tops and scooping out flesh and seeds. As we got down to business carving our respective pumpkins, my Mom would roast the seeds in butter and salt filling our kitchen with the most heavenly smell.

My nieces and nephews were in town and I thought it would be a lot of fun to do a little pumpkin carving. My son adores his cousins.  It was such a beautiful day outside so we brought all the tools and pumpkins to the driveway to get started.  Just as I expected none of the kids wanted to come anywhere near the “gross insides.” I does feel kind of slimy. But what I once dreaded as a kid I found oddly satisfying as an adult. I knew that the more seeds I was able to get out of the pumpkins the more I would be able to roast into something wonderful!  Carving pumpkins was a tradition I looked forward to every year and it’s one I hope to keep going in my house!  I promise you will love these pumpkin seeds.  They are nutty, buttery, salty, crunchy.  The recipe below is soooooooo easy.  I have read, though, that if you boil the seeds first they will be even crispier.  A method I haven’t tried but would like to.  Elise over at simply recipes has a easy to follow recipe for the boiling method.  Don’t limit toasting seeds to just pumpkins.  It’s delicious with any kind of winter squash.  These are delicious on their own or thrown into a salad or some soup for extra crunch.

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Toasted Pumpkin Seeds


Description

A great way to use up the seeds from carving pumpkins!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
  2. Toss pumpkin seeds with butter and seasoning salt. Lay in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake about 45 minutes or until nicely browned; stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  4. Can be stored at room temperature in an open container for up to 2 weeks.