Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

Because I hate wasting anything (especially food), I made sure to make something out of the seeds from the pumpkin I used for this bread. 

Truth be told, I never paid much attention to pumpkin seeds because they are common "snacks" in the Philippines - cheap, salty, and readily available. But here, I only see them during the Fall season, and they come in a myriad of flavors and spices! 

I chose to make sweet instead of salty - I have had too many salty pumpkin seeds in my youth! :-) It was delicious - especially when they are still warm from the oven!

By the way, I never knew that the white hull of pumpkin seeds can be eaten. We usually just eat the green part (called pepitas). But yes, apparently they are edible. You might choke a bit when you eat it, but it'll grow on you.

I didn't put any measurements in this recipe - just use as much or as little as you prefer!


What you need:

pumpkin seeds
olive oil
sugar
cinnamon


What to do:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Wash pumpkin seeds and remove any stringy pulps that are attached.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on a baking sheet. Spread the seeds in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes to dry them out.

Remove from the oven, toss the seeds with a little bit of olive oil, cinnamon and sugar. Return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 20 more minutes.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Pumpkin seeds are chock-full of minerals, protein and fiber! More reason to eat them!
2. Try Italian spices - instead of cinnamon and sugar, toss with grated parmesan and dried oregano.
3. Did you know that all pumpkin seeds are edible? Yes, including the ones from your jack-o-lanterns.