Pumpkin Seed Time!
This cooler November weather has got me feeling fall and this recipe brings back some fall memories from my childhood! This great on-the-go snack provides the perfect mixture of sweet, savory, and bold flavors!
Ingredients and Tools
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Peanut oil (enough to coat the sauté pan)
- 1 medium sized pumpkin or 2 small pumpkins
- 2 medium bowls
- 1 edged baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 1 serrated knife
- Paper bag (cut to make placemat)
To obtain the seeds
-Get one medium-sized pumpkin or two small-sized pumpkins because the Nugget by my house only had small pumpkins.
-Layout a tablecloth or I used a brown paper bag and laid it out like a placemat.
-Use a serrated blade to cut open the top of the pumpkin, exposing the seeds inside.
-Use one bowl to put the pumpkin insides into and one bowl for the seeds.
-Proceed to scoop the seeds from the pumpkin with your hands or a large spoon.
-Once you have all the seeds from both the pumpkins, let the seeds soak in water for 2-4 hours to loosen the remaining pumpkin insides on them.
-After they are done soaking, put the seeds into a colander and rinse with water until all pumpkin insides are removed from the seeds.
To cook the seeds
-Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the seeds evenly on the parchment paper. This step is to dry the seeds out.
-Put the seeds in the oven for 1 hour.
-After an hour, remove the seeds from the oven and let cool. Prep the sauté pan during this time.
-Lightly coat the sauté pan with the peanut oil, just enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
-Place the dried pumpkin seeds into the sauté pan and add the sugar. Sauté until seeds are coated in oil and sugar and begin making a crackling noise.
-Remove the seeds from the pan and place them into a Tupperware. Combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper together. Place the lid of the Tupperware back on and shake until evenly coated.
Tada! Put into a bowl and share with friends and family!
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