Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It's that time of year again! 

It's pumpkin seed season!! 

The time of year where I start hoarding pumpkins, asking friends if they will be using the ones they had sitting on their porch steps now that Fall is ending, and seeing if I can make them last into the new year. Last year I was still baking pumpkin seeds in January! This is not an exaggeration! I love me some pumpkin seeds, so I figured I would share my favorite recipe again, for anyone who loves them as much as I do!! 

Ingredients

Olive oil

Honey

Garlic Salt 

I am not a measurer of things, so if you need precise, then I'm really sorry. I kind of just throw in a little of this and a lot of that depending on my feelings in any particular moment. So here is a general overview of my step-by-step process... 

Step 1) Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. 

Step 2) Cut open pumpkin and scoop out seeds. Then place all the seeds in a bowl of semi-warm water. I let the seeds soak for a minute or two and swoosh them around the get the stringy pulp separated. The pulp should settle to the bottom and then I fish the clean seeds out and place them on a paper towel. I like my seeds to be cleaned (no thick pulp), but not too clean (still a little orange film), because I think it adds more of that pumpkin seed yumminess when finished.  

Step 3) Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. I will usually do this twice, transferring the seeds from the first paper towel to a second in between patting (that way the seeds aren't sitting on a wet paper towel). The new paper towel will help to soak up some of the extra moisture, but I don't ever wait for the seeds to dry. Some people will tell you that's a thing (and that you must wait), but I am too impatient to have that be one of my things, so they are still moist when I stick them onto their baking sheet and this method hasn't failed me yet! I prep the baking sheet with aluminum foil and a sprinkle of olive oil (makes cleanup a cinch).

Step 4) Place the seeds in a plastic bag and pour in just a tad of olive oil, quiet a good squeeze of honey and about two shakes of garlic salt. I close the bag and get to shaking. I shake (and knead) until all the seeds are coated, check to make sure I feel they are evenly coated (if not, or I just feel in the mood for more, I will add a dash more salt and honey) and then spread them evenly onto a foil lined baking sheet. *Note: You could mix in a bowl, I just find the bag helps to spread the honey and salt evenly and makes cleanup a lot easier!

Step 5) After making sure they are evenly spread (not a lot of seeds overlapping) I will sprinkle more garlic salt on top so that the seeds have an even coating of salt. Then for good measure, I squeeze just a bit more honey to give it a good pop and then place the pan in the oven. 

Step 6) Bake for 12 minutes and then take the pan out and flip the seeds. Pop back in oven for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown (or crisped to your preference). Babe prefers his seeds a little more crispy so sometimes I will leave them in a little longer for him. Just watch carefully, they can go from brown to burnt real quick! 

Step 7) Voila! Just let cool and enjoy!! 

How seeds look going in...

How seeds look coming out!

Pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite fall snacks! 

Happy munching!! 

How do you prepare yours? Any other sweet and salty recipes I should try?