How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
It's that time of year again! Time to get out and get ready for Halloween. I really enjoy this time of the year when all the tree leaves are changing colours and we get to participate in fun family traditions.
One of my all time faves is carving the pumpkin. I like to leave it for the weekend before Halloween as I don't want to do it too early and have them rot out on the step. After we are done carving the pumpkin, I always enjoyed roasting the seeds and making a little snack out of them.
Here is the way that I do it. Please share your way or secret family recipes with me.
Step One: Carve your Pumpkin
This is the fun part...carving the pumpkin! I had my little helper, Hunto (as he would say), helping me out. Help is a term used loosely here as he didn't really do too much but add the cuteness factor to the whole activity.
He did try and help scoop out some of the pumpkin "brains" but after he tried to put the brains back into the pumpkin, he was a little counter-productive. He also didn't like getting his hands all squishy. His help was short lived once the knives came out any ways. I did the traditional pumpkin faces...nothing too fancy.
Step Two: Separate Seeds
After the pumpkins were carved, it was time to separate the seeds from the brains.
This didn't take too long, but was tedious work. After the seeds were separated, I washed them in a strainer and let them drip dry for a few minutes after. Note: Don't try to dry them with paper towel...they just stick to the towel
Step Three: Season
There are lots of ways in which you can season your pumpkin seeds. I like mine a little salty. (Be sure to comment on your favourite pumpkin seed flavours you have tried)
I added about 1/4 cup of oil, just enough to cover all the seeds. Then I added some Mott's Clamto Caesar salt and some rock salt. I would have normally used just regular seasoning salt, but I was out and the Caesar salt worked in a pinch. Plus I really like the rimmer salt any ways.
Step Four: Spread and Bake
At this point, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a sheet of silicone parchment paper, I spread the seasoned seeds over a pan evenly.
I placed the seeds in the oven for about 15-17 minutes until they were slightly golden. After about 10 minutes in the oven, I could hear them start to sizzle. After the sizzling started, I checked them every minute or so just to make sure they weren't burning.
Step Five: Cool and Enjoy
When I was satisfied with the look of the seeds, I pulled them out of the oven.
They didn't take long to cool and in 5 minutes after being pulled from the oven, we were enjoying our freshly baked pumpkin seeds!
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