A Hallowe’en Treat: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

When I scooped out the innards from the Enright CSA pumpkin I was making into a jack o’lantern, I separated the seeds (which was easier than I expected) and put them in a colander. I got about a half-cup of seeds out of a medium-sized pumpkin (pictured), so that’s what I used as the basis for my cobbled-together recipe for toasted pumpkin seeds. They taste great, I could hardly stop eating them and wished there had been more seeds in that little pumpkin. Happy Hallowe’en!

Sweet and Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds, washed and dried
Scant tablespoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt or regular table salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Dash ground white pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Rinse the pumpkin seeds well, then lay on a paper towel to dry. (Don’t leave them on the towel until they are completely dry or they will stick to it.) Line a cookie sheet with foil, grease the foil, and distribute the pumpkin seeds over the tray in a single layer. Roast the pumpkin seeds until they are completely dry, about 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the sugar and spices in a small bowl, and melt the butter. Take the pumpkin seeds out of the oven and transfer them to a good-sized bowl. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees, then drizzle the butter over the seeds, sprinkle with the spice mixture, and toss until all the seeds are well covered.

Distribute the seeds on the foil-covered cookie sheet again and toast until golden-brown, about 18-22 minutes. Cool and eat (in between the chocolate meant for trick-or-treaters, of course).