Don’t toss those seeds after carving your pumpkins; roast them for a tasty snack.

Remove seeds from the pulp and rinse them under cold water to wash off any remaining pulp. Dry them off in a clean dish towel or paper towel. Place on a greased baking sheet and spray the tops of the seeds with cooking spray (or drizzle a little olive oil on top and spread it around to coat all the seeds).  Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes, stirring the seeds after 10 minutes or so. Store in an airtight container.

If you prefer sweet snacks, you could sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon instead. I haven’t actually tried that, but I might give it a whirl after we carve more pumpkins tonight. Roasting pumpkin seeds has started to become a tradition in our family at Halloween time. I’ve done it the last couple years because it seemed a shame to waste the seeds after carving a pumpkin. This year Cole actually asked me to make them. It surprised me that he remembered, seeing as he’s only 4. Cole really loves these seeds for a snack, and so do the rest of us, although Bennett has trouble with them. He gets them in his mouth but can’t chew them well enough to swallow them, so ends up spitting them out. I think the outer shell is just too tough. I’ve seen recipes that suggest soaking the seeds overnight, but I’m far too impatient for that. Maybe I’ll give it a try though next time to see if that helps make them easier to chew for poor Bennett. He’s still too little for them I think, as much as he wants to eat them. Next year though this should be a great treat for the whole family.