Salty Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Post and images by guest blogger, Rebecca White, of A Pleasant Little Kitchen. 

Visit her full blog or find out more about her here. 

If you grew up carving pumpkins during October, there is likely a pumpkin seed memory that goes along with this hallowed activity.

My father was proficient at creating the perfect jack o lantern. He and my sisters and I would gather on the back patio to watch him carve the pumpkin with ease.

There are many smiles and laughs attached to this event, but those memories are slightly hazy these days. However, it is the removal of the seeds that is still vividly memorable.

The orange stringy pumpkin interior attached to the cream colored seeds as they were pulled from the pumpkin was an indescribable (and impressionable) sight.

As a child I couldn’t quite quantify the experience. It was slightly scary, slightly disgusting and highly engrossing. I still experience the same emotions when handling a freshly opened pumpkin.

There was one year when my oldest sister exclaimed that the pumpkin seeds should be roasted and salted. I don't know who assisted her or if she handled this roasting experiment on her own but what was produced was one of the tastiest fall treats I had ever experienced as a child.

For some reason I don’t recall roasting pumpkin seeds besides just that one time. Maybe it was too arduous of a task to remove, clean, dry and roast the seeds. Or maybe we just forgot about it. However every Halloween when the jack o lanterns begin to appear on porches I still think about those delicious salty bites.

Pumpkin season is one of the most exciting times--- not only for the decorative opportunities to beautify homes but also for the various culinary opportunities.

So many delicious recipes use pumpkins and sweets tend to be the crown jewel of pumpkin season. Unfortunately the savory crunch of pumpkin seeds tend to be an afterthought.

Perhaps it's because pumpkin seeds are easily available at Market Street throughout the year. It doesn't have to be fall to easily access a delicious ready to eat healthy snack.

However this year while enjoying Market Street's Pumpkin Perfected celebration with its beautiful pumpkin displays I got a hankering for home roasted pumpkin seeds.

Not knowing what pumpkin to use I deferred to my Market Street rewards to guide my gourd selection...I could use a few of my earned reward points for a free jack o lantern pumpkin.

It was as if Market Street was confirming my decision to roast pumpkin seeds.

Once the pumpkin was cut into I had a flashback to those cool October evenings with my dad and sisters, carving pumpkins and celebrating fall together.

What a wonderful tradition of family time and seasonal celebration. I called in the kids and together we pulled out the seeds. There were squeals, screams and giggles. The goopy interior invoked in my children the same reactions I once had. This filled my heart.

It was truly a pumpkin perfected moment.

Salty Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Author note: To make the seeds a bit more decadent, substitute the olive oil for melted butter. If you prefer a lot of heat, use 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ingredients

1 1/2 (to 1 2/3 cups) raw pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (adjust according to preferred saltiness)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Remove the seeds from one large carving pumpkin. Wash the seeds and pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Place the oil, cayenne, salt and thyme into a medium sized bowl. Stir well.

4. Add the pumpkin seeds into the oil mixture. Stir well and coat the pumpkin seeds.

5. Evenly spread out the seeds onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring the seeds once, after 12 minutes of roasting.

6. Remove from the oven and immediately pour into a bowl. Let cool.

7. Serve warm or at room temperature.