If you saved your pumpkin seeds from our delicious roasted pumpkins we did, we get to eat them to. Waste not, want not, right? So we’re going to toast these delicious little seeds for a snack the whole family can enjoy. (Or you can stash them in little baggies for yourself!)
We start off by washing the seeds with water and picking out any left over pumpkin bits. Place them in a bowl with a paper towel and path them dry. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes to dry them out some and give them some of their toasted quality
Now that your seeds are dried out and ready for the second cooking to give them that toasty crunch, you can toss them in your seasoning. I have listed just a few choices, but really the sky is the limit when it comes to imagination and our creative palates.
Olive Oil and Salt
Garlic and Parmesan
Cinnamon and Sugar
Red Chili Powder and Honey
Ranch Seasoning and Butter
Place the dried seeds in a bowl and toss them with the seasoning of your choice. This is where you can get really creative depending on your personal tastes. The thing to remember is, in order to get dry seasonings to stick, and your seeds to toast up and get crispy, is that you need an oil, like olive oil which I prefer, or even butter, (We all drool when it comes to adding butter to something!) or even something sticky like butter and honey together. Just keep an eye on your seeds so that sticky honey doesn’t overcook and become hard or burn.
I put 2 tbsp of butter and half a packet of dried ranch dressing in mine. My butter wasn’t soft enough so I stuck the bowl in the oven just for a minute or two to melt it before I stirred it all together.
Spread your seeds back out on the cookie sheet and put them in the oven for about 10 more minutes until they’re nice and toasty. Remove from the oven and if you think you need a little more pizazz, toss them again in your seasoning bowl to pick up some of that leftover yum. Careful with your seasonings, as I did use ranch and 20 minutes in the oven with ranch was just a little too much for the packet stuff so I’ve bumped the time back to 10 minutes. None the less, they still taste delicious! My eleven year old said, “Mmm, tastes like bacon!” So, it’s hard to mess them up unless you just completely cremate them. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before eating then enjoy!