I feel guilty wasting pumpkins seeds after carving pumpkins, but when I was younger I never understood the thrill of roasted pumpkin seeds –– I could never get past the tough texture. It wasn’t until a friend in college made them that I realized how good they could be and that I, and my family, was skipping an important step in roasting them. Before roasting the seeds, you need to boil them in salted water to soften the shell. This step makes the texture more enjoyable to eat and easier to crack and remove the seeds (pepitas) from their shells. Once I mastered this step and started enjoying roasted pumpkin seeds, I started using the shelled seeds in other recipes. My favorite is pumpkin seed brittle. This quick recipe is great for Halloween after carving pumpkins. Place the brittle in a bowl, grab a few pumpkin beers, and enjoy the night watching scary movies. The brittle is also good as a garnish for pumpkin pie, cakes, or baked into blondies or brownies. If you want to skip roasting and shelling pumpkin seeds, you can find pepitas at most grocery stores.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle 

Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Flaky sea salt, to garnish 

 

 

Directions 

1. Line a baking sheet pan with a silicon mat or parchment paper coated with nonstick spray. Set aside. 
2. Using a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, add the sugar, corn syrup, and water and stir until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and continue to boil until the sugar becomes golden brown and a candy thermometer reads 315 degrees, about 15 minutes. 
3. Working quickly, add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir in the pumpkin seeds until evenly distributed among the sugar mixture. 
4. Pour the brittle mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, spread the brittle into an even layer. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt and allow to cool at room temperature until completely hardened, about 1 hour. 
5. Once cooled, break into bite-size pieces and store in an airtight container. 

NOTE: To roast pumpkin seeds, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil seeds for 10 minutes until seeds are soft and slightly translucent. Drain and dry seeds with a paper towel. Toss the seeds with a tablespoon of olive oil, and season as desired. Roast in a 400 degree oven, placing the seeds on a baking sheet in an even layer for 5 to 15 minutes or until seeds are golden brown. Remove and cool before eating. 

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