This is probably also the easiest recipe you will find on ROTW. You really only need three things:
The most important ingredient is seeds from your freshly carved pumpkin:
The only other things you’ll need is a tiny bit of olive oil and salt! If you’re feeling really creative, you can also use other seasonings: chili powder, black pepper, and ranch dressing powder packets all make the seeds very tasty! But this time around I kept things very simple. And really, there are very few steps to follow, but here they are in case you are a strict recipe follower.
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. While carving your pumpkins, preserve all of the seeds in a large bowl. Try to clean them off the best you can while carving- this will save you time and energy later.
2. Once you’re done carving, rinse your bowl of seeds with water. Sometimes I’ll let them soak in water for a few minutes to loosen all of the icky pumpkin guts so they’re easier to clean. Rinse until you have a bowl of clean seeds, then drain all water.
3. Dump the seeds onto a baking pan (it helps if the pan has a low lip or sides). Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over them, just enough to coat. Then sprinkle with salt or other seasonings. Use your fingers to toss the seeds around on the baking sheet until they are all coated with oil and seasonings.
4. This is the part where you really have to pay attention. Put the seeds in the preheated oven. I always start with 15 minutes on the timer. When the timer goes off, pull out the sheet and use a spatula to toss the seeds around. Keep checking at 10 or 15 minute intervals until the seeds are roasted. You’ll have to taste one every once in a while toward the end to make sure they’re ready! They are done when they feel pretty dry, and crunch when you bite into them. When I made them this time around, I ended up cooking them for two 15 minute intervals, then a 10 minute and a 5 minute interval, for a total of 45 minutes. But this will vary depending on the number of seeds, how wet they are, etc.
5. When they are completely roasted, take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then transfer to an airtight container or start snacking away!
Happy Halloween munching, readers!
