Some of you may remember last fall when I tried to make some sweet and salty pumpkin seeds and they just didn’t work out? I’m not exactly sure why, maybe because I’m a glutton for punishment, but I was determined to try again.
I tried a different method this time and I’m happy to report I’m not a total failure after all. Wow, did these ever turn out fantastic! Which is probably good, since I don’t think my bruised ego could have stood another failed attempt.
No, not really, I’m just kidding. I’m actually getting really good at being o.k. with screwing up recipes. It’s just part of trying out new things and trying to improve on recipes that just don’t work. You have to grow some thick skin and brace yourself for a few flops. Sometimes when something comes out poorly I think “Ha! I should take a picture of this and blog it.” Then I come to my senses and dump it in the garbage.
As far as these pumpkin seeds go, I think the biggest testament to their goodness is that my girls have been begging me to make a second batch because they finished off the HUGE first batch I made in a matter of two days.
This method includes roasting the seeds, then coating them with caramelized sugar (oh wow!) and then tossing them with the seasonings. It works just right! These are wonderful after school goodies!
Here’s how to get make your own~
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Clean the goop off the pumpkin seeds and rinse them well. Blech! Pumpkin guts!
After the seeds are really clean you can spread them out on a cookie sheet and let them dry. I let them sit overnight, but that was because I was being lazy. I had just processed 5 pie pumpkins and I didn’t really care about roasting the pumpkin seeds right away.
After the seeds are dry, roast them for an hour at 300 degrees. Every 15 minutes I take mine out and stir so that they don’t burn. They should be all toasty looking, but not black when they are done.
While the seeds are roasting, mix up the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar in a bowl and set it aside. You’ll need this later when the seeds are all hot and gooey with melted sugar.
Once they are roasted, heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Because I had so many pumpkin seeds I used a little more oil. Peanut oil works well here if you aren’t allergic because it doesn’t burn at high tempetures. But, if you don’t have peanut oil or can’t use peanut oil, you can use corn or olive oil instead.
Add 1/4 cup of sugar and the pumpkin seeds and begin to stir. Continue to stir and cook until the sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds start to caramelize. Take care not to burn the seeds!
Ohh, that’s looking mighty tasty . . .
Remove the seeds from heat and add them to the bowl with the sugar and spices and stir. Keep stirring until they are well covered and the spices seem evenly distributed.
Let them cool before you eat. Store these in an airtight container for up to a week. Of course, it’s unlikely they’ll last that long!
Here is the recipe again with out the pictures
Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cups sugar + 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 ground ginger
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Wash seeds and allow to dry.
- Spread seeds on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne in a large bowl.
- Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining sugar.
- Cook until sugar melts and seeds caramelize, stirring constantly.
- Transfer to bowl with spices and coat well.
- Let cool.
- Store in airtight container.
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These two recipes make me want to skip work for the day, drag out my crockpot and create!