October means... pumpkin seeds!



Photo courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Fall is upon us! I made this recipe last year at a pumpkin-carving party and I could NOT STOP eating them. It's like Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal but with pumpkin seeds. If you're looking for a sweet version of toasted pumpkin seeds, try this out. Best to limit yourself to a handful if you can... unless you want your dentist to yell at you. I'm taking the risk.

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
• 6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Larger seeds may take longer. (Heather's note: let the seeds dry overnight if you are removing them right away from the pumpkins, or do whatever you can so that they are as dry as possible. I didn't do this last time and they took about an hour and 15 minutes to fully toast.)
2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the remaining sugar over them. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts, about 45 seconds. Pour seeds into the bowl with the spiced sugar and stir until coated. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.