Spicy Candied Pumpkin Seeds are spicy and sweet - not to mention crunchy. They are a fun snack on their own, but also make a delicious garnish on salads (like this Persimmon Pomegranate Salad), soups (try them on Roasted Squash Soup), or even on fall desserts (they are great on Pumpkin Pie).
Yield: 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups pepitas or hulled pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. water or orange juice
- 1 tsp. ground ancho chile power or spicy paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silpat mat and set it aside. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium high heat, toast the seeds, stirring frequently, until they puff up a bit, about 3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and water or orange juice, chile powder or paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne. Stir until sugar dissolves as much as possible. Add still warm seeds and toss thoroughly to coat them evenly.
- Spread seeds on the lined baking sheet in as much of a single layer as possible. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven until the suagr is caramelized and seeds are turning a medium brown. Watch them carefully, they go from candied to burnt quite quickly. Start checking them at about 10 minutes and ever 2 minute thereafter.
- Let seeds sit until cool. You will need to break them apart a bit as you take them off the sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
