I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween holiday this year, even though many of you had to endure hurricane Sandy. I celebrated with spooky movies, pumpkin carving, and my favorite, baked pumpkin seeds! Pumpkin seeds are delicious AND nutritious, packed with zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, and even protein!

This year we tested out a new recipe, and it was definitely a winner! Spicy and sweet at the same time, these seeds were a sure treat and a huge hit at our Halloween pre-party get together. Bonus? We didn’t even have to let them dry over night – they went from pumpkin-goo to golden and crispy in under an hour.

Now is a great time to try this recipe since all of the pumpkins are on sale too! Enjoy!

Spicy Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

Hootie the Halloween Owl

• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds, washed
• cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of sugar, the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.
3. Place the pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake the seeds in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 25 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds along with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook and stir the seeds until the sugar forms a coating on the seeds, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the caramelized seeds into the bowl of sugar-spice mixture (don’t toss in a plastic bag, I tried this and the bag melted – seeds ALL over the floor!), toss to coat, let cool, and munch away!

• Previous Entry: A Glance at the Top 12 Food Trends for 2012
• Next Entry: Recipe: Homemade Kind Inspired Bars