Maple & Pumpkin Pie Spice Pumpkin Seeds
There have been a lot of traditions in my life but none of them have shown up as regularly as pumpkin seeds.
As a kid we always carved pumpkins while munching on pumpkin seeds. This continued through my teen years. In college I hosted numerous pumpkin carving parties complete with crazy pumpkin carving tools, roasted pumpkin seeds and wine (of course there was wine!).
Now I find myself in a household where I am the only one who likes pumpkin seeds. Baby M (very soon to be toddler M!) can’t yet eat them, J finds them hard to chew and The Hubs, Brit that he is, never acquired a taste for them at all.
And so every year I go about trying to find new ways to doctor them up and show my family just how good they are.
This recipe was designed to entice J. The pumpkin seeds are sweet as can be because of a douse of maple syrup. And they have all those warm comforting pumpkin pie spices that I know he loves.
J’s reaction: “Mommy! They’re so sweet and yummy!” Yay!
Followed by: “But I can’t chew them. Phhhh!” The phhh was the spitting out part.
*sigh* Well, I tried. The upshot is that The Hubs declared them the best roasted pumpkin seeds he’s ever had. And he did eat quite a few. I, addict that I am, ate the rest! They really are that good (the chewy crunchy texture that my son hates, well, that’s what pumpkin seeds are all about and this recipe is all about the chew and the crunch. I’ll convince him with the next batch for sure).
How to make Chewy Maple and Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds?
Follow the instructions on How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds over here. When it tells you to stir your seasonings together in a medium-sized bowl, you mix together:
-
1/4 cup maple syrup - 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
And then proceed with the recipe.
If you’re too lazy to head over there and look, I’ve put the recipe here for you. I’m not one to judge laziness. Oh no. Not me. But you really should go over and have a look at my step by step guide on How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds because the pictures are really pretty. They’re possibly my favorite ever on my entire blog.
- 1 large pumpkin
- 2 tbsps vegetable oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt)
- These instructions begin with a full large pumpkin. At the end, not only will you have delicious roasted pumpkin seeds but you will also have a pumpkin that is ready for carving.
- Cut a circular 5-8 inch diameter hole in the top of the pumpkin encircling the stem (use a sturdy serrated knife and a sawing action).
- Use the stem as a handle to remove the the circular cut out. Using two fingers, squidge off any seeds that cling to the lid.
- Put these seeds into a colander. Use a knife to trim the fibrous strands off of the pumpkin lid. Discard the fibrous strands and set the lid aside.
- Dive into the pumpkin with one hand. Grasp a bundle of seeds in your fingers. Gently tug on them while squeezing your fingertips together at the point where the bundle of seeds meets the pumpkin fibers until the seeds release. Put the seeds into the colander detaching any bits of orange pumpkin fibers that have come along for the ride (don’t worry if you can’t get them all off. A lot more will come off in the rinsing step). Repeat until all the seeds have been removed from the pumpkin cavity. You should get 1 to 1 and ½ cups.
- Put the colander into the sink. Rinse the seeds under a long full blast of water. Swish them all around under the water to help detach any stubborn pumpkin fibers. Line a large bowl with paper towels. Pour the seeds into the bowl. Wrap the towel around the seeds and pat them dry.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a large pan with parchment paper
- Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds. It is inevitable that some water has clung to the seeds so stand back a bit and beware of spattering. Stir the seeds to coat them all with the oil. Cook stirring occasionally until well-browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir your seasonings together in a medium-sized bowl. You can use 1 teaspoon of coarse salt (1/2 teaspoon table salt) and ½ teaspoon of coarse black pepper OR stay tuned for these delectable flavors over the next few days: Pesto and Parmesan, Sweet and Salty Spice, Sticky Chewy Maple and Pumpkin Spice, Blackened Sweet Sriracha and Soy.
- Transfer the seeds to the bowl of seasonings and stir to coat. Pour the seeds onto the large pan and put the pan into the oven. Roast the seeds until they are dry and crisp, 15-18 minutes.
- While the pumpkin seeds are roasting, use a metal serving spoon to scrape all the stringy fibers away from the inside of the pumpkin. Discard them. Now your pumpkin is ready for carving!
- Cool the seeds on the pan.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or store roasted pumpkin seeds for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
I used to love roasting pumpkin seeds in the fall when I was little (well, my parents were roasting them, not me :)). I haven’t really done it since then, too busy or too lazy at times. I bet maple syrup goes great with pumpkin seeds flavor!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com recently posted: Lamb vegetable noodle stew, Lagman
Julia, Do give it a try! I bet just the smell of roasting pumpkin seeds will take you back to those times with your parents. Happy Halloween!
Mmmm, maple syrup on anything makes me giddy with excitement! I can’t WAIT to try these–pumpkin are being carved this weekend. :)
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective recently posted: Asian Bloody Mary
I know. Maple gets me every time too. I’m so excited to be carving pumpkins this weekend. The best part is that I already did teh hard part of removing the seeds and scraping the insides when recipe-testing so it’s just the fun stuff left to do. Yay! Happy Halloween :)